Rosell keeping two board places open

Catalan sports weekly paper Gol claims that Barcelona presidential candidate Sandro Rosell has put together a board team of 17 directors. The former sports vice-president would keep two places open that could be filled in later, possibly after the elections. The Barcelona board can have between 14 and 21 members.

Besides Sandro Rosell, this would be the other 16 members of his board team ahead of the elections on 13 June: Manel Arroyo, Josep Maria Bartomeu, Joan Bladé, Javier Bordas, Jordi Cardoner, Eduard Coll, Silvia Elías, Javier Faus, Pilar Guinovart, Dídac Lee, Jordi Mestre, Susana Monje,í Jordi Moix, Ramon Pont, Josep-Ramon Vidal-Abarca and Carles Vilarrubí.

Read more:
The three areas and vice-presidents of Rosell
The Rosell project
Businesswoman Susana Monje will be treasurer Rosell

Rexach will join the candidacy of Rosell

Catalan sports weekly paper Gol claims that former Barcelona player and coach Carles Rexach will join the candidacy of Barcelona presidential candidate Sandro Rosell.

After a first contact and a principal agreement, the final co-operation would be established during an upcoming new meeting between Rexach and Rosell, although it's not clear when the news will be made public.

Rexach would be part of the sports area of the club, although there is still uncertainty about the concrete position the former player, assistant coach, coach and sports director would occupy. He would become sports director [currently txiki begiristain], youth director [currently alexanko] or director of football [currently raul sanllehí].

The 63-year old Catalan, who has mainly been working as a football pundit since he left the club in 2003, was a Barcelona player from 1967 to 1981, coached the team on three occasions as caretaker and was the manager of the team during the 2001-2002 season.

Read more:
Rexach still thinking about running for president
The three areas and vice-presidents of Rosell
Rexach could join Minguella-Medina candidacy

Villa to be presented before the elections

Catalan sports weekly paper Gol claims that Barcelona and Valencia have reached a principal agreement on the transfer of Valencia forward David Villa (28) after a formal meeting between Barcelona chief executive Joan Oliver and Valencia representatives in Valencia last week.

Apart from the determination of the final transfer price, the deal between the two clubs would be complete. The rumoured fee would be around 30 million euros but Valencia would want to include some Barcelona players in the deal because cash money would go directly to the bank that has refinanced the club's debts.

Pressured by their creditors, among which Spanish bank Bancaja is the most important one, Valencia would be forced to sell players for between 40 and 60 million euros this summer and reduce the cost of the players' salaries from 90 to 60 millions.

The plan is reportedly that the deal could be closed soon after the end of the league season and that Villa would be presented as new player of Barcelona before the presidential elections in 13 June and before Villa, who was already a transfer target of Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola during the past two transfer summers, travels to South Africa for the World Cup.

Read more:
Laporta blocks transfer plans Rosell
Rooney could become electoral transfer target
Rosell preparing bid for Cesc

Minguella project to present new member

Catalan sports weekly paper Gol claims that the candidacy that is being set up by former players' agent and 2003 presidential candidate Josep Maria Minguella will soon after the game against Real Madrid next month present a new member.

The person would be a man of between 40 and 45 years old who reportedly has already a large support among Barcelona fans. It's not specified by the paper if this would be the candidate the group has been looking for (read more here).

Josep Maria Minguella, who now mainly acts as a Barcelona pundit for a number of radio and television shows, took part in the 2003 elections, when he ended fifth (out of six contenders) with 1.867 votes (3,62%). The Catalan supported the 2008 vote of no confidence against the board.

Read more:
Molins rejects offer to lead Minguella-Medina project
Majo stepping out of Minguella-Medina project
Minguella project preparing primaries

Ex-players Amor and Migueli linked with Rosell

Catalan sports weekly paper Gol claims that Barcelona presidential candidate Sandro Rosell is still looking for people who will be in charge of the sports area of the club if Rosell is elected as president. It would not yet be clear who would become the new sports director and the new youth director.

Two of the names that are reportedly being linked with the candidacy of Rosell, are those of former Barcelona players Guillermo Amor (42) [picture] and Migueli (58). Amor has been the head of Barcelona's youth academy from 2003 to 2007 and is now acting as television pundit.

Rosell would also consider the return of former youth director Josep Colomer, who was dismissed after Sandro Rosell left the club in 2005 and replaced by current youth director and former player José Ramón Alexanko. Colomer has over the past years been working for Rosell's sports marketing agency BSM.

Read more:
Begiristain proposes Zubizarreta as his successor
The Rosell Project - Part 2: The Team
Godall: "Txiki will be my sports director"

What will Evarist Murtra do?

After Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola dedicated his team's victory in the World Cup for Clubs to former Barcelona director Evarist Murtra, there has been some speculation in the Catalan press about the role of Murtra in the upcoming elections.

(read the first part of this post that gives background information on the person of evarist murtra here)

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Murtra has been contacted by several pre-candidates asking him to join them. Murtra would have rejected the offers and is quoted as replying to all: "Never again will I be a director of FC Barcelona."

Murtra would want to stay totally independent to have the chance to freely express his opinion about the situation of the club and although he won't actively take part in the campaign, he could publicly say to which candidacy he feels closes when the elections come nearer.

Catalan sports weekly paper Gol claims that there's still a chance that Murtra, who reportedly already rejected an approach by among others the candidacy of Alfons Godall, will join former Barcelona economic vice-president Ferran Soriano, who would still be trying to convince Murtra to get involved.

The local press meanwhile couldn't agree on the presence of Murtra at a dinner organized earlier this month by Soriano to which he invited all the members of the Barcelona board who left the club together with him after the vote of no confidence in July 2008 (read more here).

Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia claims that Murtra certainly won't take part in the elections, Catalan sports paper El 9 Esportiu that he seems not willing to particpate and Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo that he plans to stay neutral in the whole process.

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

Read more:
Soriano dines with former board colleagues
The Board Movements (2003-2009)
Soriano to announce candidacy next month

Rosell planning to reform club statutes

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Barcelona presidential candidate Sandro Rosell wants to reform the statutes of the club. The person in charge of the big reform would be Joan Manuel Trayter [picture], a professor of law at the university of Girona.

Trayter, a former vice-president of the Catalan sports tribunal and the son of the president of the management commission that was in charge of the club during the 2003 elections, has over the past years been critical about the functioning of the current board.

In an interview with Catalan sports weekly paper Gol, he suggested last month among other things that the role of the board at the end of a term should be changed to guarantee the neutrality of the election process and that there should be more involvement of the club member, transparency and control:

"The statutory organs that should control the activities of the board have been ignored and their members have moved from those organs to the board, neglecting that way their institutional role. The clearest example is that of mister Sala i Martín, the former president of the economic commission, that should control the club's finances, who is now a member of the board of directors."

Read more:
Council linked with Rosell working on ethical code
Torres confirms good relationship with Rosell
Rosell changes announcement strategy

Llaurado close to renouncing his candidacy

While several sources continue to claim that former Barcelona vice-president Jaume Llauradó will participate in the presidential elections in the summer (read more here), Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Llauradó is more likely not to run for president.

The Catalan businessman would be close to making the decision not to set up an own candidacy and to not actively getting involved in the elections. Llauradó would already be holding talks with other candidates trying to convince them to take part in electoral debates that will be organized by Barcelona think tank Fòrum Samitier.

Catalan sports weekly paper Gol claims that the participation of Llauradó depends on the final number of candidates that will run for president. The ex-director would only want to take part if there are only two, at the most three, other candidacies.

Jaume Llauradó was a pre-candidate in the elections of 1997 and 2000, when he ended up joining the candidacy of the later president Joan Gaspart, in whose board Llauradó was a vice-president from 2000 until he resigned after one year because he didn't agree with the way the club was governed.

In 2003, he was a presidential candidate but finished 6th and last in the elections won by Joan Laporta. He obtained 987 votes (1,91%), which was considerably lower than the number of signatures he had been able to collect. Llauradó is also the president of FC Barcelona think tank Fòrum Samitier.

Read more:
Llaurado confirms that he will run
Poll result: Who will you vote for?
Will Llaurado run for the fourth time?

Soriano preparing candidacy

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that former Barcelona economic vice-president Ferran Soriano has in the last weeks intensified the preparation of his candidacy ahead of the presidential elections in June.

Soriano would have decided to run for president although the candidacy wouldn't be announced soon. The chairman of Spanair is now reportedly finishing his election program and the composition of his board team and management structure.

Among other things, Soriano would have met with the seven board members who left the club together with him in 2008 (read more here). Of those ex-directors, former vice-presidents Albert Vicens and Marc Ingla would certainly be willing to join his candidacy, others are still considering the options and one of them would not actively take part but give his support to the project.

Soriano would also be open for current board members to become a part of his candidacy although under the condition that Soriano stays the presidential candidate. Catalan sports weekly paper Gol claimed a couple of weeks ago that Soriano has already a deal with the candidacy of current Barcelona first vice-president Alfons Godall.

Of the candidacy of Godall, Soriano would want to add Godall, Barcelona treasurer Xavier Sala i Martín and director Magda Oranich to his team. He would also try to include vice-president Jaume Ferrer and director Alfons Castro in his project. Soriano would not count on vice-presidents Joan Boix, Rafael Yuste and Albert Perrín, nor on directors Josep-Ignasi Macià and Xavier Bagués.

Read more:
All options are still open for Soriano
How much does it cost to become a director?
Soriano dines with former board colleagues

Another Rosell could take part in the elections

Catalan sports weekly paper Gol claims that Catalan businessman Joan Rosell might take part in the elections in June after former Barcelona president Joan Gaspart could have recommended to possible candidate Ferran Soriano to include Rosell in his candidacy.

Joan Rosell is a 62-year old businessman who is most known as the president of the 'Foment del Treball Nacional', the federation of Catalan employers. Rosell, who has in the past several times been rumoured to run for president himself, is also a board member of the club's foundation.

Read more:
All options are still open for Soriano
Masfurroll cautious about election involvement
The three areas and vice-presidents of Rosell

This blog involved in the election campaign

In this week edition's of Catalan sports weekly paper Gol, in an article entitled "Dirty play on the internet", this blog is mentioned as one of the blogs used by the continuism to try to influence the opinions of the Barcelona fans through the comment section (you see a screenshot of the blog on the second page below).

Poll result: Should the sports director disappear?

Do you think that one and the same person should occupy the position of coach and sports director?

Separate the positions 65%
One and the same person 23%
Don't know/Don't answer 12%

total votes: 1000
date poll: 4 to 6 february 2010
poll method: telephone interviews with club members who have the right to vote, 95% certainty
source: gol

check more election poll results here

Spanish fan clubs not positive about board

Catalan sports weekly paper Gol held a poll among the non-Catalan Spanish fan clubs ahead of the elections in June. A questionnaire with eight questions was sent by mail to fifty Barcelona fan clubs from outside Catalonia, spread over the rest of the territory of the Spanish state, that were picked at random. Below you find the results.

Do you think the date of the elections, 13 June, is right?
No 92%
Yes 8%

Rate the players, Txiki, Guardiola and the board of directors from 1 to 10.
Pep Guardiola 9,3
Players 8,1
Begiristain 5,7
Board of directors 4,1

If Laporta could continue, would you vote for him?
No 78%
Yes 22%

Who do you think has, at this moment, the most chances to win the elections?
Sandro Rosell 50%
Ferran Soriano 26%
Alfons Godall 14%
Jaume Ferrer 6%
Others 4%

What should be the most important thing for the new president of Barça?
To keep Guardiola and the squad 66%
To continue winning 22%
To distance oneself from politics 9%
Others 3%

How do you value the presidency of Laporta?
Very good 6%
Good 12%
Regular 35%
Bad 41%
Very bad 6%

What do you think about the treatment of the fan clubs from outside Catalonia by the current board?
Positive 24%
Normal 41%
Negative 35%

What do you think about the politization of the club by the board of directors?
Very good 1%
Good 3%
Normal 20%
Bad 44%
Very bad 32%

Read more:
Eighty percent of the voters still undecided
Poll Voting Intentions: Four Months Before
Polls lead to Cesc transfer rumours

Opposition figure offered place in candidacy

Catalan sports weekly paper Gol claims that former Barcelona assistant-director Lluís de Val (picture) has been offered to take part in the upcoming elections for president of FC Barcelona as member of a candidacy.

Lluís de Val is a 56-year old Catalan businessman from the audiovisual sector who was part of the candidacy of Joan Castells in the 2000 elections. Castells joined the candidacy of then Barcelona vice-president Joan Gaspart and was appointed as vice-president after Gaspart was elected as president.

As part of the deal between Castells and Gaspart, several people linked to Castells got a position in the club, among which Lluís de Val, who became a member of a large board of advisors and was some kind of assistant-director until he left the club together with Castells in December of 2002 (read more here).

After his exit of the club, De Val has been active in the entourage of the club, at certain moments acting as a voice of the opposition. In 2003, a few months after he left Barcelona, he tried to organize a vote of no confidence against president Joan Gaspart.

In October of 2005, he revealed that director Alejandro Echevarría, then the brother-in-law of Barcelona presidente Laporta, was a member of a foundation in honour of former Spanish dictator Franco, which led to the resignation of Echevarría (read more here).

And earlier this month of February, De Val accused the current board of having bought in 2008 a piece of land in the Catalan city of Viladecans, close to Barcelona, for a value that was far more than the market value.

Read more:
Former vice-president Castells considering to run
Llaurado confirms that he will run
Former brother-in-law Laporta reappearing on stage

The Quote: Luis Racionero

"The next president should be Rosell and then, a few years later, Guardiola."


Luis Racionero,
Catalan writer

read more election quotes here

Sala accuses Rosell of being behind opposition paper

Asked about some news reports in Catalan sports weekly paper Gol, Barcelona treasurer Xavier Sala i Martín has accused presidential candidate Sandro Rosell in a note on his Facebook page of being behind the paper:

"That pamphlet is Sandro's. The assistant director of this pamphlet is called Juanjo Gonzalez although, instead of facing up, this man is hiding behind the pseudonym Diego Valor.

According to confessions by Sandro himself that were published on 25 April 2006, among the people who convinced him to write the book 'Benvingut Al Món Real' there was Juanjo Gonzalez, whom he calls "a friend of mine and of my father".

So while they're telling the people they are playing it clean, the campaign of Sandro also consists of throwing dirt on the others through pamphlets such as this one or Pelikano [Barcelona news site]. But so they don't face up. Everybody is how he is. We are not doing it that way."

Read more:
Rosell organizing press dinners
Barcagate (9) - A crucial dinner
Sala: "Rosell was always on the wrong side"

Polls lead to Cesc transfer rumours

Madrid sports tabloid As claims that the recent rumours regarding a deal on the transfer of Arsenal midfielder Cesc to Barcelona this summer are a consecuence of vote intention enquiries.

Private polls among club members and fans would show that Barcelona vice-president Alfons Godall is going behind and the leaking of names of players that could join Barcelona would be a strategy by the club to attract more votes.

Catalan sports weekly paper Gol claims that, because of the polls, the current board wants to present two big transfers before the elections, with Cesc and Bayern Munich attacker Franck Ribéry suggested as possible targets. The club would be trying to make a budget of 100 million euros available for the signings.

Read more:
Rooney could become electoral transfer target
Laporta and Rosell contacted Cesc
Ribery on wish list Rosell

Vice-president Yuste to leave after elections

Catalan sports weekly paper Gol claims that Barcelona sports vice-president Rafael Yuste (picture, on the left) will not continue at the club after the elections later this year, independently of who the next president of FC Barcelona will be.

Yuste, who said last week that he won't actively take part in the elections (read more here), would have informed his board colleagues that he will leave the club in July and that he will serve as right-hand man Barcelona president Joan Laporta (picture, on the right) when the latter starts his political career.

Catalan businessman Rafael Yuste joined the board of directors of Barcelona in November of the year 2005. In July 2008, after eight board members left because of the result of the vote of no confidence, he was appointed as sports vice-president.

Read more:
Directors considering to leave the club
The five vice-presidents of Godall
Vice-president Yuste won't take part in campaign

Rexach will run if he gets Facebook support

Former Barcelona player and manager Carles Rexach has said at the end of last month on Catalan local televisión channel Canal Català that he will run for president if a Facebook group in support of his candidacy would reach 5.000 members. After this statement, a group was created that has until this date gathered a few hundred people.

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo meanwhile claimed last week that a series of meetings took place to reactivate the option that Rexach would run for president in the elections. A group of Barcelona fans would have everything prepared and would only be waiting for the decision of Rexach (read more here).

The former player and coach would reportedly again be more willing to accept the offer than he was a couple of weeks ago (read more here). Catalan sports weekly paper Gol on the other hand claims that the group that wants Rexach to run would have problems to get the project financed.

Read more:
Rexach confirms offer to run for president
Catalan journalist rejects offer to run for president
Llaurado admits talks with Minguella and Rexach

Poll result: Elections on non-match day?

What do you think about the fact that the elections aren't held on a match day?

Very bad 42%
Bad 27%
Good 9%
Very good 6%
Indifferent 4%
Don't know/Don't answer 12%

total votes: 1000
date poll: 4 to 6 february 2010
poll method: telephone interviews with club members who have the right to vote, 95% certainty
source: gol

check more election poll results here