Benedito: "I don't plan to announce transfers"

Barcelona presidential candidate Agustí Benedito gave an interview to Catalan regional newspaper Diari de Tarragona.


Can you explain some of your proposals?
There are some key concepts like transparency in dealing with the club members, honesty in the management, and representation of the members. In all these aspects, Laporta deserves a fail. I am also very concerned about the assets policy.

With whom has Agustí Benedito surrounded himself to tackle this adventure?
We have a campaign team of 214 people who are working for five months on this project. As for the board, it's not yet the right time to disclose any names, but they all have the profile of the average entrepreneur, Catalan, not first generation and people closely linked with the society.

What weight will Tarragona have in your candidacy?
Until today, I have been able to meet with 1.500 members. I came to Tarragona several times and will return many times. During these visits, I have discovered that Barça, besides being an enhancer element, can also be a limiting factor. I speak about the football team and the other sections.

It's very difficult to change this image...
I actually think that it is very simple. It's a matter of being convinced of finding a solution, to look for collaboration and positive elements. It will be simple. I'm sure.

Outside of Catalonia, it seems to be difficult to be a Barça fan.
The Catalan character of Barça is part of the very essence of Barça. No one can want to reduce this distinguishing feature. But doing politics from the presidency is a serious mistake and betrays the founding spirit of the club. Outside of Catalonia, the attitude of Laporta has caused hatred against Barça. But I don't think that is only the case outside of Catalonia. These days I have also noticed a great and generalized feeling of fiscomfort inside Catalonia.

Will you make a deal with someone?
The conviction that our program is the best and that we are an alternative are two reasons that make a deal impossible. We'll get to the end.

Do you have a star signing in the pipeline?
I find it very difficult to make concrete proposals without first talking to Guardiola. I do not intend to give any names. The issue should be discussed with the coach.

this was the second and last part of this interview. you can read the first part here.

Read more:
Benedito starts second phase of campaign
Benedito: "We want to repeat the historical results"
Probable new director helping Benedito campaign

Benedito: "We want to keep the spirit of 2003"

Barcelona presidential candidate Agustí Benedito gave an interview to Catalan regional newspaper Diari de Tarragona.


You were the first candidate to come out. Why?
Some media started publishing the rumour that we wanted to take part in the elections. And since we have always defended that we want to talk in a clear way, we decided to confirm this rumour. We did it on 8 October.

There are other candidates who have chosen to stay silent.
I don't look at what other pre-candidates do. Our goal is to gain visibility step by step and I think it is a strategy that is good for us.

You are closely linked to the first 'era' of Joan Laporta. In fact, you were one of the driving forces behind the former 'Elefant Blau' opposition group. Does that benefit or harm you?
It's true. I got to know Laporta in 1997 and since then we have had a close relationship. In fact, I feel very much part of the victory of Laporta in 2003 and I am very proud of my contribution to that. I think that this project, when it is updated and renewed, is still very valid and I think the club members also have that idea.

So what has changed since 2003?
There has been a moment when Laporta and his board decided to turn the situation around and to abandon the project with which they won the elections. Laporta has done some very good things, other things of that project he has not done and others he has done in a bad way. So our idea is to keep the spirit of that program.

Joan Laporta has changed a lot over the last years?
I think that he has lost control of many things. The latest example is the use of politics. He has used his position as president for personal gain. That is one of the biggest mistakes a president of Barça can make.

Six titles have been won, Barça has been hailed as one of the best teams in history and still the feeling is that people want a change. That is difficult to understand...
It's true. It sounds strange. This will surely be the first campaign at the club in which the sporting theme will not be the main focus of discussion. We are the best team in the world, but we should now make sure that the rest of the club is also at the same level of excellence of the football team.

What role does Agustí Benedito play in a war that seems to have only two key people: the continuity candidate and Sandro Rosell?
We are another alternative. When we made public our intention to take part in the elections, it was very clear to us that our project would be the best project and we keep on believing that. That's why we will continue with it.

this was the first part of this interview. you can read the second part here.

Read more:
Benedito starts second phase of campaign
Benedito: "We want to repeat the historical results"
Probable new director helping Benedito campaign

Guixa: "The financial situation worries me"

Barcelona presidential candidate Jaume Guixà gave an interview to Catalan local newspaper Diari de Tarragona.


What do you think about Laporta wanting to become a politician?
Laporta has been closing doors. He has had too many confrontations over political issues. At times, his attitude has not been the appropriate one for the president of Barça, there are several examples of that. He has even been investigating his own directors with money of the club. The current president uses the name of Barça in a wrong way.

What is your project for the club?
We want to open the club to the club member. We want a project where the member takes part and therefore all these measures we are going to take will be done by a dynamic team that reflects the historicy and the value of the club and not by a little group of four members within the board that controls everything, which is the case now.

Are you concerned about the current situation?
I don't believe what they say about the club financially doing good. That worries me. If we were that good, why is it that the training centre hasn't yet been finalized after they started it in 2003?

The remodelling of the stadium ...
The project of Norman Foster will have an environmental cost, besides the costs of the maintenance. Yes, you have to reform the Camp Nou, but more at the service the user, by making it more accessible. To do all that, there's no need to get rid of assets.

One of the great assets of Barcelona is Pep Guardiola.
Pep has made history with the club and if he has announced his intention to continue at the club it's precisely not to get involved in the electoral process. Our candidacy has always said that we would respect his decision and that whatever he would decide, it would be a good decision for us. That's why, after hearing that he wants to continue, we are very encouraged and motivated because the project of Laporta is over, but also because the project Pep Guardiola continues.

Will there be signings if you will be president?
I think that Cesc Fàbregas, who has left the youth academy, is one of the best players in the world and is therefore a great player who deserves to be part of the best team in the world, which is Barça, but we will always act following the wishes of the coach and the consultations and recommendations made by the technical staff.

You are the president of a fan club...
Every fan club has to be the backbone of Barça in the region. From the fan club, one detects the delusions or even the deficiencies. Right now the club doesn't care about those in Catalonia but those from outside Catalonia have even been humiliated.

this is the second and last part of this interview. you can read the first part here.

Read more:
Grand-daughter club founder in board team Guixa
Guixa: "The most powerful candidacy is ours"
Three 'Dream Team' players in candidacy Guixa

interview: patxi saracho

Guixa: "I want to give Barça back to the members"

Barcelona presidential candidate Jaume Guixà gave an interview to Catalan local newspaper Diari de Tarragona.


How are you approaching the elections?
With excitement and motivation. The fact that a judge had to force Barça to call the elections isn't good for the institution [referring to the 2006 elections]. But at least, this has allowed us to get in contact with the club members, who are the ones that decide the future of the club.

What is your project based on?
We have a different project. We hope that when the Laporta era ends, this laportism will stop and that we can give Barça back to the real owners, the club members.

What has the board done wrong?
The main points of our project are based on what Laporta didn't do. When he led the 'Elefant Blau' [barcelona opposition group from 1997 to 2000] he said there would be transparency, that the member would decide things, that they would adapt the club's statutes, that the club would be modernized. But that didn't happen.

What has been the worst thing?
Without any doubt, the sale of assets. Why do we have to sell if the club is economically doing well? At this moment we don't know anything. We don't know if the club is technically bankrupt. A lot of measures have to be taken regarding the management of the club, and it has to be done by new people in the board, with an exciting project, not only for the board members but also for the true owners of Barça, the members.

But as far as the sports area is concerned...
We should congratulate the technical staff, headed by Pep Guardiola, together with the players, because they have been able to do better than the Barça of the Five Cups. Now we have six of them. That is extraordinary. You must give credit to Laporta for appointing Pep as first team coach. That's is the big merit of Laporta, and that's also the main support of the laportism.

You are the first to come to the city of Tarragona.
I think Barça is not only linked to Barcelona, it's also a club of Catalonia, of the Spanish state and even the world. Our goal is to get closer to the club members and not just to those from Barcelona.

this is the first part of this interview. you can read the second part here.

Read more:
Grand-daughter club founder in board team Guixa
Guixa: "The most powerful candidacy is ours"
Three 'Dream Team' players in candidacy Guixa

interview: patxi saracho