Salvat wants to help others to collect signatures

Speaking to Catalan radio station COM Ràdio, Catalan surgeon Miquel Llobet [picture, on the right], who is part of the board team of presidential candidate Santiago Salvat [picture, on the left], has said that their candidacy will help other candidates to collect the signatures of club members that are needed to take part in the final vote:

"One needs the signatures, they are needed to be able to defend your ideas. We will defend our ideas when the time is there but I propose - and I was just talking about this with someone of the candidacy of Alexis Plaza - that in case we pass the number of signatured needed, we will give signatures to others so that they would also be able to defend their ideas.

Won't those signatures been invalid? No, because our name won't be on it. If we see that we are reaching a number of people that is more than what is needed, we will guide the stream to others because we are profoundly democratic. We think that all members should have the same chance to expose their ideas. The collection of the signatures shouldn't be a pre-referendum."

Read more:
Surgeon Miquel Llobet part of Salvat candidacy
Pre-candidates need to collect signatures
Salvat presents basic ideas of election program

Surgeon Miquel Llobet part of Salvat candidacy

Speaking to Catalan radio station COM Ràdio, Catalan doctor Miquel Llobet has confirmed that he is part of the project that was set up by former Barcelona presidential candidates Josep Maria Minguella and Jordi Medina and that will be headed by Catalan businessman Santiago Salvat (read more here).

Miquel Llobet is an orthopedic surgeon, specialized in arthroscopy, at the Teknon medical centre in Barcelona. In 1995, Llobet was part of the medical team that operated the right knee of then Barcelona player Jordi Cruyff against the advice of the medical services of the club but with the approval of then Barcelona manager Johan Cruyff.

In 2003, Llobet was a member of the board team of Barcelona presidential candidate Lluís Bassat. Since the beginning 2006, he was rumoured to be trying to set up a presidential candidacy together with notary Mario Romeo. In 2008, Llobet supported the vote of no confidence against the board of Barcelona president Joan Laporta.

Read more:
Salvat confirms that he will run for president
Minguella and Medina behind Rexach candidacy
Santiago Salvat is Minguella-Medina candidate

Three candidates take part in radio show

This Friday, Barcelona presidential candidates Agustí Benedito [2nd from the left], Jaume Guixà [2nd from the right] and Alexis Plaza [3rd from the right] all three took part in a radio show on Catalan radio station COM Ràdio.

Catalan businessman Manel Arroyo [on the left], who will be part of the board team of Sandro Rosell, and Catalan doctor Miquel Llobet [on the right], who will be part of the candidacy of Santiago Salvat, were also present.

Former president Reyna so far not involved

Asked if he will get involved in the presidential elections at Barcelona that will be held in June, former Barcelona president Enric Reyna has said in an interview with Catalan radio station COM Ràdio that this is not the case for now:

"At this moment, I don't have plans to get involved, but in the world of football anything can happen. I have been contacted by candidates, that's true, there have been phone calls. But so far I have clearly said no to everyone."

Catalan businessman Enric Reyna was the Barcelona president between February and May 2003. The 69-year old property developer joined the Barcelona board of directors after the 2000 elections. In Decemeber 2002, he was promoted to vice-president and when president Joan Gaspart resigned a few months later, Reyna became the 37th president of FC Barcelona.

Read more:
Former director Castells considering election role
Role Masfurroll in Rosell candidacy unclear
Llaurado close to renouncing his candidacy

The Catalan Cave: Sergi Mas (Com Radio)

in this section, we ask catalan and spanish sports journalists five questions about the elections for president of fc barcelona. today: sergi mas from catalan radio station com ràdio.


1. Many people see Ferran Soriano as the main rival of the favourite, Sandro Rosell. Where does the fame of Soriano come from?
I don't know where the fame is coming from. But let me ask. Which fame? It might come from his phlegm and his correct behaviour, from not saying one bad word. I don't know. I don't know him either. I have no idea if he could be a great president or a great average one. I don't know. We don't know each other. I know little about him.

2. You have already interviewed the most important pre-candidates. As far as their personality is concerned, who did you like most?
I interviewed all but Soriano - if he runs - and Rosell, who hasn't done interviews. The best one is Benedito. Guixà has the best image, the most calculating one is Ferrer. Godall, although he swore it, won't be a candidate. But they all have a bad strategy. They're not going to the media. We only know them by phone or by interviews. You have to go to and meet the media, rather than the fan clubs, to allow the people to know you. Before you go to the fan club and the members, you must first pass through the media. But that's their problem and that of their advisers.

3. Production company El Terrat, for which you have worked, will be in charge of the communication of the campaign of Sandro Rosell. It that a wise decision?
Wise decision? We shall see in due course. I don't know. I will have an opinion when I see what they do. Rosell and his team are old enough to know if they're right.

4. You are a well-known Espanyol fan. How are the elections seen from the Espanyol antourage? People aren't interested in it or they have a preference in favour or against a candidate?
As an Espanyol club member, it doesn't interest me. As a journalist, I feel passionate about it. It would be better if the next one would be a president who brings people together and not a warrior.

5. Your program is very popular in Catalonia. When preparing or presenting your program, are you aware of the fact that you can influence the opinion and perhaps the vote of the club members?
You always know that what you say or express will go beyond the 4, 400, 4.000 or 40.000 listeners you have. Because besides the listener, you also have other media that spread the following day what you have been broadcasting. And people know that. You keep in mind that you can have an influence, but I'm not saying things to influence but so that the listener - whatever team he's a fan of - has more information about the fellow he's going to vote for.

THE EXTRAS If you were a club member of Barça, who would you vote for or certainly not vote for?
If I was a member of Barça... With that kind of approach it's not possible for me to answer this.

All your possessions are at stake. Give the top-3 of the elections on 13 June.
I'm not putting in play my personal estate nor my pen. I just give my opinion. Rosell first, Soriano second, Benedito third.

Thank you for this interview and your time. Good luck in covering the rest of the season and the elections.

read the previous episodes of this series:
francisco ávila (efe) - miquel pellicer (el mundo deportivo) - edu polo (ona fm) - abraham clotet (sport) - victor lozano (onda cero) - sergi de juan (el 9 esportiu) - cristian pulina (eurosport) - joan domènech(el periódico)

Ferrer denies support former brother-in-law Laporta

Asked about the rumours that former Barcelona director Alejandro Echevarría (picture, on the right), the ex-brother-in-law of Barcelona president Joan Laporta (read more here), is supporting his presidential candidacy, Barcelona assets vice-president Jaume Ferrer seemed to say in an interview with Catalan radio station COM Ràdio that Echevarría isn't part of his team:

"That's not important, that's irrelevant. Alejandro Echevarría was a colleague within the board of directors and we kept good relationships after he left. I think I can call him a friend. About some things we think very differently, about others we think the same.

He's someone who alwasy acted very good towards me, it's someone who I talk to about a lot of issues but he isn't linked with FC Barcelona anymore, he has distanced himself from the club and so in that perspective he's irrelevant."

Alejandro Echevarría, at that time still the brother-in-law of Laporta, joined the Barcelona board in February 2004. On 20 October 2005, he left the club after accusations that he was a member of a foundation dedicated to the life and works of former Spanish dictator Francisco Franco (read more here).

Read more:
Former brother-in-law Laporta reappearing on stage
The Board Movements (2003-2009)
Former vice-president Franquesa to support Ferrer

Medina confirms he's working on a candidacy

Asked what his role will be in the upcoming presidential elections, former presidential candidate Jordi Medina confirmed last week in an interview with Catalan radio station Rac 1 that he is holding talks trying to form a candidacy ahead of the elections in June:

"We're motivated, we're excited, we have a project, we are talking with several people of the entourage of the club to see if we can link up. The moment will come when we will have to go public and I'm hopeful that we will be able to present a solid project that can be attractive."

Medina elaborated on the plans in an interview with Catalan radio station COM Ràdio on Monday: "We are working on a project and the moment will come when we will have to take a decision and make it public. We hope to make it work and to present an attractive project that the Barcelona fans will like.

Rexach and Minguella are involved? Personally I didn't meet with Charly. I know there have been some reports but I don't know where those were coming from. But it's true that we have been talking with Barcelona people, among which of course Josep Maria Minguella, a close friend of mine, but also others.

We have met, we have talked, but nothing has been decided. I shouldn't necesarily lead a possible candidacy. In all honesty, I have a lot of work and I don't have much time, which would make it difficult for me to head a candidacy. But so I'm working to help to form a list, although we're not in a hurry."

Jordi Medina is a 45-year old Catalan lawyer who was a pre-candidate in the 2003 and 2006 elections but failed twice to collect enough signatures of club members to take part in the final vote. Medina is the chairman of 'Un Crit Valent', an FC Barcelona platform.

Read more:
Minguella and Medina behind Rexach candidacy
Medina will again take part in the elections
Minguella confirms talks with Medina and Majo

Vice-president Yuste still hoping for board unity

Asked about the upcoming presidential elections, Barcelona sports vice-president Rafael Yuste said last month in an interview with Catalan radio station COM Ràdio that he still hopes that the board will be able to present one single board candidacy:

"We are a group of people that wants to continue this project because it's worth it. My wish would be that there would only be one candidacy and I hope that we will be strong enough to stay united. Godall or Ferrer? I don't want to make a public statement on that, I can only say that I think the issue will be resolved soon."

Read more:
Directors considering to leave the club
Ferrer: "One board candidacy will be difficult"
The five vice-presidents of Godall

Ferrer: "One board candidacy will be difficult"

Asked if one single board candidacy is still possible, Barcelona assets vice-president Jaume Ferrer has said in an interview with Spanish radio station Onda Cero that this won't be easy:

"It will be difficult to form one candidacy with Godall. The problem isn't who should lead the candidacy, it's about private issues, so I think it is difficult. Laporta supports Godall, who is his friend since childhood and I think he is entitled to have a preference for someone. I'm sure he'll behave in a correct way towards all candidates during the campaign.

Over the last seven years, some things have been done very well and other things not that well. We've developed a success model and I think that I'm capable of keeping that going and renew it. I offer an exciting project with a different style than the current one. FC Barcelona should be an inclusive club, where the supporters and members should feel comfortable, in the social area we can improve a lot.

My way of acting is different than that of Laporta, it's about being more discreet and appearing less in the media. The president of Barça should not use the club as a political tool, but we on the other hand also shouldn't forget that since its foundation the club has always identified itself with the Catalan society."

A few hours before, Ferrer had pronounced similar statements in an interview with Catalan radio station COM Ràdio saying that he already has his own project in place:

"We will be able to discuss this in a more calm way, but our candidacy will be a renewal one, based on our experience within the club over these last years, both in the sports area as in the economic area. I'm at the club since 2003, and I have gained experience in many departments. So I know the club very well.

Alfons Godall? He is a good board colleague but I think it's complicated we would find a deal to have one single candidacy. I just hope and believe that the team will stay out of the electoral campaign. That will be a challenge the candidates have. As far as our candidacy is concerned, we will do everything possible for things to happen in that way."

Read more:
Ferrer confirms that he will run for president
Poll result: Who should be the board candidate?
Perrin: "Ferrer could accept being the second man"

More about Benedito (4): On Txiki and Camp Nou

Barcelona presidential candidate Agustí Benedito has in the past weeks given several interviews to Catalan newspapers, radio stations and television channels. This blog will give an overview of what the Catalan businessman had to say.

As a preface you can read this blog's five-parts introduction series on Benedito and the opinion piece he published last month.



Salary employees and players
I believe there should be more transparency and that the club members, as owners of the club, should be informed about the salaries of the executives of the club. And the same goes for the players.

I think the fans want to know these things and have the right to know. In general, we should be more economical, in all areas. This also involves the number of employees, which has increased from 170-180 in 2002 to over 300 now.

The exit of board members
When we formed our candidacy back in 2003, we thought we didn't have a lot of chances to win. We saw it more as another step - we had already been involved in a couple of elections. We wanted to let ourselves know, to play a role, to explain our project so that the next time, in 2007, we could win. But we won in 2003.

It's true that not all the directors knew each other for years. So you hadn't those close and long personal relationships and that could also have led to what we've seen over the years.

Fifteen people from the board of directors have left over the years, Joan Franquesa being the last one. And not counting members of several commissions of the club. I nevertheless think that every dismissal had its own specific circumstances and that there isn't one reason for this.

The group of Rosell for example left for different reasons than the ones who left after the vote of no confidence. In the case of Sandro Rosell, there was an internal power battle going on within the board, others have left for other reasons. Every case was different so I don't think it's fair to say that president Laporta is responsible for all the dismissals.

Franquesa? I have been very close with Joan. I talked with him before he left. He's a great person and an even greater Barcelona fan and it's a pity that the club won't be able to count on his qualities anymore. I'm sure he has had his reasons and for a man like him to leave the club, these must have been very serious. I can only wish him all the best.

Begiristain
I think that the era of Txiki will come to an end next year. I don't know what he will decide but what is clear to me is that if we win the elections, Txiki Begiristain won't continue. We will propose something else, but this is still too sensitive at this moment so I prefer to wait until the campaign starts to talk about our proposal.

Link with Rosell
I have a good relationship with some of the people who apparently will be part of the candidacy of Sandro, like for example Jordi Moix, but I haven't offered him to collaborate with him.

Before making the decision to run mid-July, I have indeed been talking with him but also with other people, namely current or former board members like Ferran Soriano, Albert Vicens, Albert Perrín, Joan Franquesa, Josep María Bartomeu, basically with a lot of people.

New Camp Nou
I think the Foster project has been dealt with badly from the start. The stadium needs a remodeling because it's 52 years old, but the investment shouldn't be so massive.

The budget is 250 million euros but the majority of the specialists say that it could in the end cost the club 400 million euros. It's a decision that is economically and strategically so important for the club that it can only be made after consulting with the fans.

this is the fourth and last part of a series.

Read the previous parts of this series:
More about Benedito (1): His reason for running
More about Benedito (2): On Laporta and Guardiola
More about Benedito (3): On his exit and politics

sources:
el 9 esportiu, catalunya ràdio, com ràdio, ona fm, tv cugat, tv3

More about Benedito (3): On his exit and politics

Barcelona presidential candidate Agustí Benedito has in the past weeks given several interviews to Catalan newspapers, radio stations and television channels. This blog will give an overview of what the Catalan businessman had to say.

As a preface you can read this blog's five-parts introduction series on Benedito and the opinion piece he published last month.


His exit
By trying to sell Mallorca, Laporta crossed a line that one cannot cross and I didn't accept that. I found out that he had tried to enrich himself by obtaining a commission of 4,2 million euros and that's why I decided to quit (read more here). I thought it was very serious and I felt disappointed when Laporta confirmed the newspaper report at a press conference.

And since I don't have to power to make the president of Barça resign, I resigned myself and left the club. After having talked with a lot of people I got to know within the club, I went to see Laporta at the club offices. Since he wasn't there, I handed my resignation letter to his secretary and since that day I haven't talk with him again.

When I was at the club, people told me many things about Laporta, but when I asked them if they had proof, they didn't. The first clear facts I had was when he admitted that his office had mediated in an attempt by Uzbeks to buy Mallorca. If I would have had clear evidence sooner, I would have left sooner.

At the start of Laporta's mandate there were already events that made clear that things wouldn’t go the way they were meant to go. For example when he closed a deal with Gaspart at the Majestic hotel that no veils would be lifted.

But you think that if you leave, that won't help the change that was meant to take place. So you continue thinking that it's for the good cause. I thought the easy thing was to leave and with a function in the club you have at least some power to change something. It's like the voter of a political party who doesn't vote for the opposition when he sees that there's something in his own party he doesn't like.

Chief executive Joan Oliver
I don't know Joan Oliver very well. I didn't deal with him a lot since he arrived in July 2008, replacing Anna Xicoy, and I left the club in February 2009. But as far as I know, his profile and his way of acting is not at all compatible with what we think about the function of chief executive.

Politics
The fact that Barça is connected to the world of politics is a consequence of the immense fame the club has, abroad but certainly at home. It can therefore be interesting for politicians to be linked to the club but I think the latest acts by the presidents are going to far.

The catalanism of the club is clear, it's essential for the club, it's part of the roots of the club but it shouldn't be linked to concrete politics or party politics. That might have been necesary in the past, but now the club shouldn't get involved in political matters. If I will be the next president, that's how things will be.

Salary president
There are some examples in Spanish football of presidents who are paid for the job but those involve clubs that are joint stock companies. In any case, I don't think that the president of Barça should get a salary.

this is the third part of a four-parts serie. you will be able to read the last parts in the coming days with benedito giving his opinion, among other things, on the continuation of sports director txiki begiristain and on the plan to remodel the camp nou.

Read the previous parts of this series:
More about Benedito (1): His reason for running
More about Benedito (2): On Laporta and Guardiola

sources:
el 9 esportiu, catalunya ràdio, com ràdio, ona fm, tv cugat, tv3

More about Benedito (2): On Laporta and Guardiola

Barcelona presidential candidate Agustí Benedito has in the past weeks given several interviews to Catalan newspapers, radio stations and television channels. This blog will give an overview of what the Catalan businessman had to say.

As a preface you can read this blog's five-parts introduction series on Benedito and the opinion piece he published earlier this month.


Laporta's reign
There are things he hasn't been able to do and there are things he hasn't wanted to do. He had a unique, historical chance to make an irreversible change but he lost track. Laporta has for some reason deviated a lot from the model of the Elefant Blau [former barcelona opposition group] and has been losing control lately.

In the seven years before he became president we had talked and discussed a lot about how the club should be led, about our model, what we wanted to change. On crucial themes, he hasn't been able to push through what we wanted.

We're then talking about transparency, especially the communication with the club members, about honesty and about participation, ways to get the club members more involved. There he failed.

In general, he clearly passed the test. I would give him a 6. But regarding certain issues, that were very important back in the days, he failed. So there might be some disappointment from my side, especially because most of this happened because he didn't want to change certain things. But where Laporta failed, there we will succeed.

If I will win, I will of course lift the veils of the Laporta era. It will be an exercise of transparency, something the club members deserve and have been waiting for for many years. I think it's an ethical and moral duty.

Guardiola
Well, what can I say? I'm a guardiolist. He has done an amazing, incredible job, that might be unsurpassable. As a club member, I don't think there's a better way for our team to continue like they're doing now, than by keeping Guardiola in charge.

So if I could decide, Guardiola would be there for many more years. In our sporting model concerning the first team, his place is assured. But I think that will be a decision that will mainly depend on Josep Guardiola. I sure think that Guardiola knows the club that well that he will be very careful not to intervene in the elections.

Salary chief executive Oliver
A possible 900.000 euros is four or five times more than the former general director Anna Xicoy, who did an excellent job in my opinion. So I think this is too much, it's disproportionate and I don't understand the change in the salary policy. If I'm chosen as the new president, the chief executive won't earn more than 400.000 euros.

Sale of the Mini Estadi site
In 2003, the promise that the team of Laporta has repeated the most was that we wouldn't sell one square meter of club property. For me, the 2003 program is still valid and so I'm against it. Club assets should only be sold in a crisis situation and that's not the case now.

Although I took part in a vote of no confidence against Josep Lluís Núñez, I can recognize that he considerably increased the assets of the club. And now I can only say that Laporta is selling what Núñez had bought.

Season tickets
Barcelona has over 184.000 club members, 100.000 of which cannot come to the stadium to watch the games, which is the main activity of the club. Some people have to wait ten years to be able to buy a season ticket.

All this should lead us to start thinking about how to deal with that. An option could be rotating season tickets, like is done by some English clubs.

Bank guarantee
We have this legal obligation, which is in my opinion a disadvantage for us compared with other clubs. As you know Barça and three other Liga clubs have decided not to change themselves in public limited companies, which means that our boards have to put down a bank guarantee that is worth 15 per cent of the club's budget while for the others it's only 5 per cent.

Of course that limits the possibilities for a lot of club members to become part of the board of directors. Because at this moment, with Barça's budget of 400 million euros that would mean a guarantee of around 60 million euros. Our candidacy has looked at it, we have contacted financial institutions to discuss things and as it's a legal obligation, we will cumply with it.

this is the second part of a four-parts serie. you can read the first part here. you will be able to read the next parts in the coming days with benedito giving his opinion, among other things, on the continuation of sports director txiki begiristain and on the plan to remodel the camp nou.

Read more:
Benedito: "It won't be a matter of two candidates"
Poll result: Can Benedito win the elections?
Barça, a 'wonderful rarity' (by Agustí Benedito)

sources:
el 9 esportiu, catalunya ràdio, com ràdio, ona fm, tv cugat, tv3

More about Benedito: His reason for running

Barcelona presidential candidate Agustí Benedito has in the past weeks given several interviews to Catalan newspapers, radio stations and television channels. This blog will give an overview of what the Catalan businessman had to say.

As a preface you can read this blog's five-parts introduction series on Benedito and the opinion piece he published earlier this month.


His reason for running
Since 1997, when I was part of the candidacy of Angel Fernández, I have in a way been linked to the club and during that time I have formed myself an idea about the club, how I think it should be or how I would want it to be. And after discussions with a lot of other people, we have now a clear project for Barça.

Because we think our model is different compared to the project of the current board as well as to the project that will probably be presented by Sandro Rosell, our group has decided to run. My vanity isn't really well-developed, so that's certainly not why I'm taking part in the elections. And I think my track record proves that.

Basic ideas
Besides what happens on the pitch and what this club means for Catalonia, the key characteristic of this club is that it's owned by the club members, which is unique in the world and which seems to have been forgotten by the last presidents of Barça. We will elaborate a concrete project based on some key principles, that might even be more important than the sporting results.

Ethics are the main thing. You can always make a mistake but ethics are essential. I think we can obtain the same results, but with a governance that is more transparent, more honest and more participatory. We propose to recover and to update the spirit we had in the year 2003, that was based on principles like transparency, honesty, participation and representativeness.

His campaign
Mid-July, a group of club members made the final decision to take part in the elections and that I would lead this candidacy. We thought that none of the other candidacies would represent the model we want for the club. Our project is very well thought through, very detailled, very concrete.

We have people responsible for the communication, a lot of people have responded to the video we put out (watch the subtitled video here), but we don't yet have a campaign director. We didn't yet decide what our slogan will be, although there are some ideas going around. We sure will try to communicate in a different, innovative way.

I cannot yet announce names of people that will be part of my team. I have been talking with everyone who could be important for the club: political parties, financial institutions, business people, journalists and so on. That was just about informing them, having a first contact and getting to know each other.

We plan to invest 500.000 euros in this campaign. If we don't win the elections, we will continue to work in the benefit of Barça but in that case from outside the club.

Possible opponents
Things aren't very clear yet. I think there certainly will be a continuity candidate. I have some doubts on Jaume Ferrer of whom I know that he also has some plans to present himself, but I think there will in the end be one unique board candidacy, probably lead by Alfons Godall. Then there's the candidacy of Sandro Rosell, there's mine. I don't really know if there will be others.

It's not clear what the group who left with Ferran Soriano in 2008 will do. I know that there are people who are very motivated to present their own project, so I think there might be another candidacy although probably not lead by Soriano but by another director who resigned together with him, maybe Albert Vicens.

Sandro Rosell? Sandro is a great Barça fan. What I don't like about him is that he also had the chance to contribute to the historical change of the club (read more in the second part of this series) but that he then decided to leave.

Xavier Sala i Martín? A good economist, recognized all over the world, who has recently decided to start talking about football. Alfons Godall? A good person, a great Barça fan, who is very - I would even say unlimitedly - loyal to Laporta.

The campaign
When you talk with people, it seems that it's already decided, but I don't think that's the case. It will depend on the campaign, on the results this season. I have talked with over 900 club members over the past months and I think that the race is very open.

I also sense that it will be a dirty campaign. I hope I am wrong because that wouldn't be good for Barça, but I have the feeling that people are very tense. We sure plan to campaign in a positive way, explaining our own project and proposals.

Personally, I don't think it's a matter of rivalry. It's very difficult to know the reasons why a club member will vote for a certain candidate so I start from the idea that there are no favourites and that the candidate who will seem the most credible one in the eyes of the voters, will win the elections.

this is the first part of a four-parts serie. you will be able to read the next parts in the coming days with benedito giving his opinion, among other things, on the continuation of manager josep guardiola and sports director txiki begiristain and on the plan to remodel the camp nou.

Read more:
Benedito: "It won't be a matter of two candidates"
Poll result: Can Benedito win the elections?
Barça, a 'wonderful rarity' (by Agustí Benedito)

sources:
el 9 esportiu, catalunya ràdio, com ràdio, ona fm, tv cugat, tv3

Bassat will not run a third time

Catalan advertising agent Lluís Bassat (68) will not take part in next year's elections for president of FC Barcelona. Bassat was the runner-up in the elections of 2000 and 2003, being defeated by first Joan Gaspart (55% vs 43%) and then Joan Laporta (53% vs 32%).

Speaking to Catalan radio station COM Ràdio, Bassat said in May of 2008 that he would not run a third time in 2010: "I've learnt a lot and now I understand that football is not a business like the other ones. It's very different. Now the time has come for somebody else to try. Being the president of Barcelona asks a lot of a person. It's also a job that is not paid.

When I ran for president, I tried to look for a solution for my club and my city because both had a problem at that time. I'm very grateful to those who believed in my project and voted for me. If I would have won, this would have changed my life radically but now I feel very happy about my way of life."

Bassat has since then repeated several times that he will not be among the presidential candidates when the election process will be launched next year.

Read more:
Who will be the next president of FC Barcelona?


picture:
Lluís Bassat presenting Josep Guardiola as his candidacy's sports director in 2003.

Barcagate (6) - The vice-presidents talk (part 2)

On Monday 28 September, four days after the publication of a newspaper report that Barcelona has been spying on four vice-presidents, Barcelona vice-president Joan Boix was the third director involved - after his colleagues Rafael Yuste and Jaume Ferrer - who talked in public when he gave an interview to Catalan radio station COM Ràdio:

"It's true that when it happened, I felt bad and I was very angry. I had a hard discussion, more than just hard in fact, with the general director, Joan Oliver. He gave his explanations, we exchanged everything we were thinking and I ended up being convinced by what he said.

For me, the issue was closed after that and completely forgotten. We made an effort to resolve the issue back then and now that this has been made public and the wound has again been opened, this hurts again. I was annoyed when it was published because it made me re-live the bad moments I lived in the month of April. The impact of the report has been exaggerated and the story isn't important enough to put it on the cover.

I never considered resigning. I think the board of directors as a whole acted like they should, in a clear and consistent way. It's a historical precedent for this club as the common sense and the stability of the club prevailed. It was hard, very hard, but we took the right measures without anyone resigning.

We were able to deal with it internally, between us, and time has proven us right. You cannot imagine what could have happened if we would have destabilized the club at that moment by changing the structure.

I don't think that I or any of my family members or friends have been followed. The security audit is basically a study of one's personality and how one is seen by the people around him. It won't come out since I have it now. I don't know if a third person has a copy though. I didn't change any of my habits because of what happened. I don't have any reason to change because I lead a consistent life.

As for my role in the next elections, I can only say that this will depend highly on the person who will be our presidential candidate. I also think that the person who will head that candidacy should have the absolute freedom to surround him with the people he wants to have near."

On Friday 2 October, Barcelona vice-president Joan Franquesa was the last person involved to share his views about the issue when he gave an interview to Catalan local news site cugat.cat:

"Nobody likes to be investigated nor to be the target of that kind of audit. So it's not a pleasant thing to talk about this and I think that the best way to solve this is internally and not through the press. The more discreet we act, the better. Otherwise you might create a bad atmosphere among the fans and the entourage of the club.

I'm annoyed because of having been the target of a security audit. Both personally and because of the image of the club. Seen from the outside, it's a very serious issue but seen from the inside, you can understand a lot of things. In the end it's just an anecdote and this shouldn't overshadow the good performances of this board.

Barça is lead in a good way and is a reference in every aspect: sporting, social, economic. It's clear that because of some internal actions, third parties who want to be part of the club - and they have this right - are now taking advantage of this because the elections are coming up.

I think that my image has also been damaged because I've been linked to a case of espionage. I nevertheless don't exclude to take part in the elections, although I'm aware of my limitations and I don't know what my role could be. You cannot make plans because it's impossible to know what will happen in the coming months.

There are a lot of possibilities. Being president or board member, everything is open and it's also up to others to make a decision on that. If I can help to keep on defending the project that revolutionized the club somehow in 2003, I will be available to add what I can."

this is the sixth of ten parts on the case. the next part will cover the latest revelations on the content of the audit reports. you can read the whole series here.


Read the previous parts of this series:
Barçagate (1) - El Periodico breaks the news
Barçagate (2) - Emergency press conference
Barçagate (3) - New revelations in the press
Barcagate (4) - Laporta speaks about spying claims
Barcagate (5) - The vice-presidents talk (part 1)


picture:
Barcelona vice-president Joan Franquesa -right- and Barcelona president Joan Laporta -left- on Thursday 24 September, the day Catalan newspaper El Periódico brought the story on the investigations

Barcagate (5) - The vice-presidents talk

On Sunday 27 September, three days after the publication of a newspaper report that Barcelona has been spying on four vice-presidents, Barcelona vice-president Rafael Yuste was the first director involved to comment on the story in interviews with Catalan radio stations COM Ràdio and Catalunya Ràdio:

"I was surprised when I got to know what had happened and we went to see the chief executive. When Oliver explained me the situation at the time, I understood his arguments -which I won't explain here- they were reliable and I accepted them.

Joan Oliver joined the club one year ago at a difficult moment and I strongly believe that he's doing a very good job at a very complicated club and that he's working very hard to help making Barça a reference in the world. As vice-president, I'm very happy to have him with us.

Let's not use the word 'spying'. For me this wasn't an investigation but a security audit. It's a normal thing in the business world and it has been taken out of context. I don't want any controversy. I never felt that my privacy was violated and I didn't think about resigning for one moment.

I also absolutely believe Joan Laporta when he says he didn't know anything. I know him for many years and it's the truth. The board of directors is united and the fans should not be worried. I don't know if there are third parties behind the publication of the story, as the president says. I'm just surprised by the way the media are covering this now because it's an issue that has already been closed in the month of April, five months ago.

I'm now focusing on the day to day activities of the club. When the election campaign begins, we'll see what will happen or what my role can be. Now everyone has to support the club."

Around that same time, Barcelona vice-president Jaume Ferrer spoke at a press conference and gave his version of what has had happened:

"It feels like I'm forced to re-read a book that I had already finished and locked up in a cabinet. I already forgot about it, I don't want to re-live it and I don't want to give too much importance to it. When we found out about it, the issue was treated forcefully. What this means? Everybody can give the interpretiation he wants.

We were given the appropriate explanations and we decided to close the issue in April. Looking back now, I think we made the right decision. Everything turned out well. The issue was resolved internally back then and we are not planning any crisis meeting now.

Of course nobody likes to be investigated, but I've forgotten about it. Did I feel protected and helped by the club like the chief executive explained? I won't answer that, I just insist that it's an internal issue that has been filed. I didn't think about resigning because -like I said- things were treated forcefully.

I don't know if the president knew about it. If he says he didn't, he didn't. I can only say that I personally closed this case in April. I don't know if there's someone behind this like the president said. One should be in his place to know that. If he says so, he should know it.

The elections of 2010 are still a long way off. We are now taking care of leading this club, we have big challenges coming up, like the Liga, the Chammpions League and the World Cup for clubs, a trophy the club didn't win yet."

this is the fifth of ten parts on the case. the next part will cover the reactions of the other two vice-presidents involved. you can read the whole series here.


Read the previous parts of this series:
Barçagate (1) - El Periodico breaks the news
Barçagate (2) - Emergency press conference
Barçagate (3) - New revelations in the press
Barcagate (4) - Laporta speaks about spying claims


picture:
Barcelona sports vice-president Rafael Yuste -left- and Barcelona president Joan Laporta -right- on Thursday 24 September, the day Catalan newspaper El Periódico brought the story on the investigations