The Number: 2.2

2,2


percentage of voting intentions for the presidential candidacy of Joan Laporta in a poll published by Catalan sports paper Sport on 30 April 2003, one and a half month before the elections on 15 June 2003

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Bassat: "Laporta invented Beckham transfer"

Asked about his previous participations in the elections for president of FC Barcelona (read more here), Catalan businessman and twice runner-up in the elections Lluís Bassat said last month in an interview with Spanish television channel La Sexta that he lost the 2003 elections because Laporta lied about the transfer of then Manchester United player David Beckham:

"To take part in the elections has been a wonderful experience. When Barça went through a bad time, a group of friends asked me to lead a candidacy like I had led my companies. I didn't win the elections in 2000 and 2003 and I'm sure that was because I didn't want to lie about a transfer of a big player.

In a poll ten days before the last elections, Joan Laporta had 9 per cent of the votes while I had 42 per cent. And then they invented the transfer of Beckham, of which I knew it wasn't true because I knew he had already signed for Real Madrid.

A journalist and friend told me to say that I would sign Henry but I told him that I preferred to lose the elections rather than to lose my dignity. I lost the elections and I don't have any regrets about the way I have acted."

Read more:
Bassat will not run a third time