Rosell: "Guardiola represents our core values"

Barcelona presidential candidate Sandro Rosell gave an interview to Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia.


You talk about recovering values. What do you mean by that?
I refer to sobriety, austerity, plurality, to understand that Barça is not a political option but that everybody can be part of our club.

But you are considered to be close to CiU [catalan centre-right nationalist party]. Is that going to influence Barça if you win?
No. It's true - and I'm proud of that - that my father was one of the founders of CiU, but I've never been a member of any party nor have I been to any political rally. It will have no influence at all. If we win the elections, we will be the board of all Barça members, no matter where they come from. What unites us is FC Barcelona and the values of the club, that are those I have mentioned plus our catalanism, which is at the heart of the club.

What do you think about the club being in favour of independence?
Bad. Barça has Catalan values but politics is another thing and it is not good to defend a political option through Barça.

You spoke about austerity. However, you have or have had businesses related with the world of football and it can sometimes be very difficult to separate things.
The important thing is to be honest. You can be honest or not honest while having a sports marketing business like mine or having a pizzeria, it doesn't matter. The important thing is not the sector in which you work, but your personal education. I dedicate 40 to 50% of my time to this company and what I will do is make time to lead the club properly. In addition, my company is dedicated to sports like skiing.

Barça is among the top clubs and Guardiola has been crucial in that. What does Guardiola mean to you?
Guardiola represents the core values of this club, like hard work, modesty, prudence, austerity, respect for all people, while at the same time the ambition to win by playing fair.

Do you agree that Guardiola has been the corner stone of the recent successes?
Guardiola has done a lot. He has build a bunker around the team, he has isolated them from the entourage. That has been one of the key decisions.

There are presidents who have a tendency of trying to have an influence on the sports area. You're a football fan, would you fall into that temptation?
No, I will not make that mistake. The dressing room and the team bus are of the players, those are sacred places.

You start as the favourite, there's a feeling that you will surely win the elections but the same could happen to you as to Bassat...
I want to have those feelings on Sunday the 13th at night. It's as hard to be the president of Barça than to not be it. For me, this is very clear. I know that if I win, I will know how to be president, and if I don't win I will be able to keep on being just another club member.

You have said that you agree that the club signs players now.
I hope that if Cesc and Villa are signed, that this is done for the good of the club, because Pep has decided that and that they do not pay more than they're worth.

Given the severe economic crisis, paying 40 or 50 millions for a player seems excessive.
You have to think a lot about it, you have to know the market price and know the financial situation of the club. In the cases of Cesc and Villa, you have to see if there are other clubs that would pay that amount and I think there aren't. So why hurry then? You have to think about the club, and if you can get them for 20 or 25 millions, the better.

Who will replace Txiki?
We need to talk with him. Rumour has it that he will leave. If he decides to leave, then we have a plan B. No employee of the club will lose his job, except for the general manager, who cannot spend the money of the member to investigate directors. That is immoral.

Are you against television debates?
We will go to all the debates the candidates agree to.

You say that the hours of the game should change. That has so far been impossible.
It is very difficult to do that until 2013 because there is a contract. But after that there will be a new round of negotiations. We want rational hours so children can go to the stadium.

Your proposals include the creation of a youth area in the Camp Nou.
Yes. I have met with leaders of the existing support groups to create a unified youth area.

Have you met with the boixos nois?
No. I am against violence. They have no place in this new group. But there are people who are against violence and who once were part of the boixos but are now integrated in other platforms.

From all the other candidates, with whom do you think you might end up making a deal?
With none of them. We have a team and a program. I think it's very difficult that people who have been fighting would again become friends and that this would work.

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

Read more:
Rosell wants to regulate new members
The program of Sandro Rosell
Rosell wants Guardiola for six more years

interview: dagoberto escorcia

Rosell: "Barça is not only about goals and titles"

Barcelona presidential candidate Sandro Rosell gave an interview to Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia.


You have started your campaign as a candidate with a very peaceful message, without responding to the attacks that from the current president of FC Barcelona. Why are you so friendly?
Because that is our way of being and because we want to show the member how we will act in case we will win the elections. But one thing is being gentle, another thing is being soft. When we will have to make tough decisions, we will make them, but always respecting the rules of the game and the way of being of people.

Don't you think that the voters who have admired your way of being can now start to think that you are not the candidate they wanted?
There is freedom of expression and everyone can say whatever he wants, but to some extent. When one touches your honour or spreads doubts about your honesty, you have to respond differently. But we are no warriors. We are normal people.

Precisely your honesty has been questioned when you have been accused of wanting to receive a commission for a transfer.
We put out a press release in which we made our position on this issue very clear. But when there are false accusations and slander, you need to be strong and act accordingly.

Do you think the president will act neutrally in this election after everything he has been saying and suggesting about you?
He said he would neutral and I remain confident that at some point he will become neutral. Now he's not, but he will find out that the president of Barça must be neutral during an electoral process.

What is the difference between you and Laporta?
I don't like to talk about me and president Laporta who within a few days will be the former president. There are a lot of differences of personality and way of being.

Some say you are very similar, that you share a certain arrogance.
I think I'm not arrogant at all. You should talk with my friends, the people who know me.

And which differences will there be in the way of leading the club?
All I can say is how we will do it if we win, which will be by working as a team. If you look at the 18 people in our board team, you see that that everyone is skilled to deal with the area he’s responsible for.

At the beginning of the mandate of Laporta the entire management team was praised but it later ended up in the way we all know. Are there guarantees that this won't happen to you?
I think it won't happen. Because of my way of being, because of the education I received from my parents, because I have worked my whole life as part of a team and because of my track record, I would say it won't. But that is no guarantee because it's difficult to know what will happen. Any decision made by a team is always better than one made individually.

The difference between the board team of 2003 and the one led by you now is that this is a group that knows each other more?
That group got together in two weeks and was not a team but a combination of individuals. Now we have a team that has been working for a while, so that everyone knows each other's strengths and weaknesses.

You are being accused of claiming the model that has been so successful because you said you have also put your two cents.
Well, I put it. That's only fair. All that was decided in the beginning when I was there, from the transfers to throwing the hooligans out of the Nou Camp, were decisions taken by the board. So then everyone is putting their two cents. I was responsible for the sports aera and my task was to change the losing dynamics into a winning one, and that happened. And the team we formed won two league titles.

It is also said that you have been active in the opposition and that you were the man behind the vote of no confidence.
That is not true. Totally false. Opposition is what you do when you form a group to criticize and to make continuous statements about the policy of the board, and that has not been our case. When we resigned, we all did that because of a different reason. We have worked behind the scenes to present ourselves, trying to avoid statements.

The president complains that after so many successes you are only satisfied. What has failed to make you really happy?
Barça is not only about goals, victories and titles. That is a very important part, but not all of it. I am happy about the sports side of the club but not about the economic and social ones.

The president has failed?
He failed in the social area. We have spoken with many members and they aren't happy either. About the economic area and based on our analysis, we feel that we can't be too happy either.

Will you lift the veils if you win?
I dislike that phrase because it is belligerent. What I plan to do if I win is to inform the member of everything. That is a right of the member as the owner of the club. We will inform them of everything.

But you have suspicions that things that shouldn’t be done have been done.
As members we know that there's a lack of transparency. We do not know why pieces of land are bought and sold without informing us, how the tickets are distributed, we have seen spending that has gone up from 20 and a bit to 75 millions, it almost tripled. This is what people want to know because that money is not from the board, it's the money from all of us. We all are Barça.

Don't you think that this information may harm the image of Barça?
No, on the contrary. The member is open to the truth.

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

Read more:
Rosell wants to regulate new members
The program of Sandro Rosell
Rosell wants Guardiola for six more years

interview: dagoberto escorcia

Ingla: "Barça should be reference of 21st century"

Barcelona presidential candidate Marc Ingla gave an interview to Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia.


You're the last one to join the campaign. You feel comfortable with that?
I'm starting in a privileged position. I have a history of a strong but at the same time discreet leadership. In 2003, I made a step forward and dedicated myself almost full-time to turning the club around economically. Ferran Soriano took up the role of general director while I took care of the commercial operations and the results were good. The marketing revenues went from 20 millions to 100 millions. In 2007, president Laporta asked me to become sports vice-president and I successfully managed the transition from the model of Frank Rijkaard to the sports project of Pep Guardiola, that he later was able to shape further with his wisdom and with the Barça dna he has. I'm not a new guy in this race. It's true that I maybe start a little late, but not that much, and I have a very strong team.

Sandro Rosell is the candidate to beat?
I don't think so. Sandro has been preparing this for a long time, but so have we. We are prepared and motivated.

Doesn't it worry you that the bar lies very high?
It's a fact that we have just won six titles, but there are always opportunities at the sports, economic and social areas. We have some phenomenal assets that can help us to become during the second decade the reference club of the 21st century. We have this historical chance to build something starting from the things that differentiate us from other clubs like our way of playing. We have a clear philosophy that is different to obtain for other clubs, and that is something we need to guarantee.

What do you think about the appointment of Cruyff as president of honour?
We will not turn back decisions that have been made by other boards. It would be a mess. We need to respect it. Just as we have the Josep Lluís Núñez museum. I like the philosophy of Cruyff, our current style has essential elements from Cruyff and the Holland school. But we should try to stay away from focusing too much on individuals.

What is your idea about the sports structure? Guardiola will continue... And Txiki?
Pep will of course continue. He's a key person and all we want to do is help him. I worked very well together with Txiki during the transition from Rijkaard to Guardiola, we did a lot of outgoing and incoming transfers, we analyzed several coaches. I count on him for the future, but we will have to know what his wishes are.

Some names. Joan Oliver.
Our intention is that he doesn't stay at the club. He's a good professional but we think that at this moment we need another type of general director, one that's a bit more technical and more dynamic.

Jaume Ferrer.
He's a good person who did a good job as treasurer. He's friendly and honest.

Sandro Rosell.
I think that mister Rosell is very connected with the world of football and that he is strongly influenced by the Brazilian style and that of their national team. It's a samba model. You can live fantastic nights, but sometimes the hangovers last too long. As a whole I think it's another model that is not the same as that of the current Barça.

Joan Laporta.
The president has now the image of a star, like one of the other contenders in this electoral race. But if I should stick with something, I would say that he's a very good person.

What is your goal?
During this second decade, I want to turn Barça into the reference club of the 21st century. Also into the richest club in the world and that means that there are challenges ahead regarding the globalization of the club, in areas outside Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain. As for the sports area, there's also a clear line that is very well managed by Josep Guardiola.

You feel capable for the job?
In 2003 we came to save the club, in 2007, when I took up the sports vice-presidency, I did that with respect and things went well, and now I have the same feeling, of calmness, of experience and knowledge, because I know the club very well from the inside, I know the difficulties of negotiating television contracts or contracts with Nike, Unicef or the one of Guardiola. I'm at a level of experience that gives me the strength to offer the club members a project of success. My style is to act modestly and starting from this modesty I feel capable of leading Barça.

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

Read more:
Ingla confirms that he will run for president
When will Rosell, Ferrer, Ingla and Salvat appear?
Godall confirms he is part of Ingla candidacy

interview: dagoberto escorcia

Ingla: "We are the real continuity candidacy"

Barcelona presidential candidate Marc Ingla gave an interview to Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia.


What has made you decide to run for the presidency of Barcelona?
We had been working for several months on a project. I have felt very supported in this decision, that is at the same time individual and collective time and I have the strength to work hard and to present something different to the club member.

Like what?
Something different to what we have seen so far and something that seems a logical option. I promote the concept of a team, and under my leadership I will offer the member an option with maximum credibility, that guarantees the successful sports model we have.

Don't you think that there is very little to offer in that area?
Yes, the truth is that that's the case. The work done during those seven years has been very good, and now we are at a moment in which the sporting sensations are great, although we have this disappointment of not playing the Champions League final in Madrid: it would have been something unique but we have to accept it. Things are very positive and we want to strengthen it and give it as much continuity as possible.

Soriano, Vicens and even Godall are part of your team, which means this is another continuity candidacy.
I am convinced that our candidacy is the one with the most credibility regarding the continuity, althought that might seem strange because we are not in the club now. Godall is, he is first vice president, but both Alfons as Ferran and Albert have been key people of a good sports, economic and social club model. And all together we have set up this candidacy.

Isn't Godall a volatile traveling companion?
It is true that Alfons has been the right hand of president Laporta. I think that in most cases he has been able to lead and help the president to make the best choices. And it is also true that there has been a disagreement. But the purpose of our candidacy is to seek harmony, to somehow rebuild the small cracks that have existed between us, and it's a pleasure that together we have decided that it is me who carries the captain's armband, and I want to do it with my own style, which is a style of dialogue, consensus and peace. Under these circumstances, I feel very comfortable with Godall.

How does your program differ from that of Jaume Ferrer, now the board candidate?
Jaume Ferrer has also participated in this successful model that we have now, most years he has been the treasurer, and I think if we are righteous, the ones that have had more leadership and more key contributions to this project are people like Soriano, Godall and Vicens, especially in the institutional area. Jaume has also done a good job but I don't know his program and I have the feeling that he stands alone.

Well, he has the president by his side.
Yes, but the team that he is forming gives me the impression that he stands alone, or at least I myself feel in very good company.

Would you like to have the support of Laporta?
The truth is that that is something beyond my control. What I want is for him to have the best end of his mandate.

What is the rest of the team like?
We are about twenty people, it's a rather heterogeneous group, with a senior profile, people of my age, younger ones, in general all are entrepreneurs and what we will promote will be the Catalan values, but it will be an inclusive and plural catalanism. A certain economic liberalism, because we are all entrepreneurs, and the values of honesty and universality of Barça.

Will the elections be political?
I hope not. Our candidacy has several values and above all the value of independence of political, economic and media powers. We will be independent.

But you have talked with all political parties?
I have had contacts with leading figures from the political, social and media world to explain them our project.

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

Read more:
Ingla confirms that he will run for president
When will Rosell, Ferrer, Ingla and Salvat appear?
Godall confirms he is part of Ingla candidacy

interview: dagoberto escorcia

Poll result: 13 june is a good election date?

Do you think 13 June is a good date to celebrate the elections at Barça?

Yes 67%
No 28%
Don't know 5%

total votes: 61
start date poll: 29 january 2010
poll method: internet, free participation
source: la vanguardia

check more election poll results here

Poll result: Laporta was right to appoint Cruyff?

Do you approve that Laporta has nominated Cruyff as honorary president of FC Barcelona?

Yes 27%
No 71%
Don't know 2%

total votes: 9239
start date poll: 26 march 2010
poll method: internet, free participation
source: la vanguardia

check more election poll results here

The Pundit: Enric Baneres on election role Laporta

« The interventionism of Laporta in the appointment of his successor, in the setting up of a continuity candidacy, starts to produce episodes of absurdity and is close to shameless, in addition to highlighting at the most inopportune time another shortcoming of the still president: that his ability to divide is far bigger than his ability to unite. »

Enric Bañeres,
La Vanguardia

check more pundit talk

The Pundit: Dagoberto Escorcia on election face-offs

« If we could choose a showdown for the presidency of Barcelona, the most attractive one would have been that of Joan Laporta against Sandro Rosell. Given the fact that the current president could not take part, the second major electoral battle would have been that of Sandro Rosell against Ferran Soriano. To our misfortune, none of these face-offs will take place. They were interesting encounters, with enough incentives, full of intrigues and personal grudges. But it won't happen. »

Dagoberto Escorcia,
La Vanguardia

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The Pundit: Dagoberto Escorcia on board battle

« At this pace, the fight for the presidency of Barca will have led to more bloodshed inside the club than out on the street. »

Dagoberto Escorcia,
La Vanguardia

check more pundit talk

Vice-president Yuste also supports Ferrer

Asked about the majority of the board now giving support to Barcelona assets vice-president Jaume Ferrer in the elections (read more here), Barcelona sports vice-president Rafael Yuste has said in an interview with Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia that he now also supports Ferrer:

"Godall said that he wanted to include Soriano and the president reminded him that there had been agreed that the candidate had to come from within the current board.

Now all members of the board, with the exception of Godall and Sala i Martín, have decided to support Ferrer. We got what we wanted, to have a single board candidacy. We supported Alfons, but Jaume is a candidate who also deserves all our respect."

Read more:
Laporta confirms board support for Ferrer
Vice-president Yuste to leave after elections
Ferrer becomes official continuity candidate

The Quote: Jaume Ferrer

"The support of the president is very important but my project stays the same as before. We want to impose another style, that includes a president who is less prominent, although we'll have continuity in the management."


Jaume Ferrer,
Barcelona assets vice-president and presidential candidate

read more election quotes here

Soriano will not run for president

After Catalan radio station RAC 1 brought the news first yesterday late in the evening, almost all Catalan media confirm today former Barcelona economic vice-president Ferran Soriano will announce later today that he will not run for Barcelona president in the upcoming elections.

Soriano would have made the decision yesterday around noon. The pressure from the shareholders of Spanish airline Spanair, of which Soriano is the chairman since last year, would have been decisive in his final decision. Catalan newspaper El Periódico claims that there has also been political pressure.

Despite of not heading a candidacy himself, Soriano would leave the door open to be part of another project or give his support to another candidate who will take part in the elections.

El Periódico claims that Soriano and his right-hand man, former Barcelona sports vice-president Marc Ingla, could try to look for someone who could lead the project they have been working on. Catalan sports paper El 9 Esportiu on the other hand claims that Soriano could join the candidacy of Barcelona assets vice-president Jaume Ferrer.

Read more:
Soriano calls press conference for tomorrow
Spanair board divided on Soriano candidacy
Soriano to make a decision before Friday

sources: rac 1, el mundo deportivo, el periódico, la vanguardia, el 9 esportiu

Ferrer becomes official continuity candidate

Yesterday evening at 7 pm, Barcelona president Joan Laporta organized an emergency board meeting at the offices of his law firm in Barcelona. The point of discussion were the results of polls carried out by the candidadcy of Barcelona first vice-president Alfons Godall and by the club.

The polls showed that it would be difficult for Godall to win the elections on his own, that Barcelona economic vice-president Ferran Soriano was doing better than him and that a joint candidacy of Godall and Soriano, led by the second, would win the elections in June. After been informed about the results, Godall told Laporta during the weekend that he didn't want to continue as candidate.

Godall yesterday repeated that he would not lead a candidacy that would not be supported by Soriano and that he would accept Soriano to head the project, something that was opposed to by Laporta and Barcelona assets vice-president Jaume Ferrer. The president, who also would not have been happy with the way of campaigning of Godall over the last weeks, withdrew his support for Godall.

Laporta, who did not want to support Soriano leading a candidacy with Godall, then proposed to Barcelona treasurer Xavier Sala i Martín to run for president. After Sala i Martín rejected the offer, as did Barcelona economic vice-president Joan Boix, Laporta decided to give his support to Ferrer, who wants to continue with an own candidacy without making a deal with Soriano.

Laporta after the meeting personally called with the board members who could not be present, among which vice-president Albert Perrín and directors Magda Oranich and Patrick Auset, to explain them what had been discussed and decided. Almost all directors would now support Ferrer.

sources: rac 1, sport, efe, el mundo deportivo, el 9 esportiu, la vanguardia

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

Soriano to announce candidacy next month

Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia claims that former Barcelona economic vice-president Ferran Soriano will soon officially announce at a press conference that he will be a candidate in the elections for president of FC Barcelona in June of this year (read more here).

Soriano would have started to inform the main shareholders of Spanish airline Spanair, of which he is the chairman, and several important people of the Catalan society and politics about his decision. The public announcement would be planned after the holy week, the week before Easter, that is celebrated on Sunday 4 April.

Former Barcelona marketing and sports vice-president Marc Ingla would become the right-hand man of Soriano, who is reportedly open for agreements with other candidates such as current Barcelona vice-president Alfons Godall and Jaume Ferrer under the condition that he will keep on leading the final candidacy.

Soriano would continue to count on Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola and Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain, although the latter would get another role at the club. Former Barcelona goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta could replace Begiristain as sports director (read more here).

Read more:
Soriano preparing candidacy
Begiristain proposes Zubizarreta as his successor
Soriano carrying out election poll

The Pundit: Dagoberto Escorcia on transfers Godall

« The big name Godall wants to sign is not Cesc but Soriano. »

Dagoberto Escorcia,
La Vanguardia

check more pundit talk

The Pundit: Dagoberto Escorcia on Rosell-Soriano duel

« It would be good that Soriano would participate in these elections, especially because if there's anyone in the Barcelona entourage Rosell is allergic to it's precisely the president of Spanair. Rosell-Soriano would be a Champions League duel. »

Dagoberto Escorcia,
La Vanguardia

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The Quote: Jaume Descals

"In football, you can be a great president but if the ball doesn't go in they will throw you out."


Jaume Descals,
Barcelona club member n° 1

read more election quotes here

Puyol and Iniesta on the elections

Barcelona players Carles Puyol and Andrés Iniesta talked about the upcoming elections for president of FC Barcelona during interviews with respectively Catalan newspapers La Vanguardia and Avui.

Puyol
"We are there to play. It's what we like. We know that there will be talk, but we have to be focused. I am sure that if we are doing good and win the games, people will talk more about football than about elections. The candidates want the best for Barcelona and we have to respect them and wait for the club member to decide."

Iniesta
"In general, the electoral process won't disturb the team a lot, but at a personal level there could be players who may be affected, because their name could be mentioned as outgoing transfer. If I could choose, I would prefer that the elections were held at the end of the season, so there won't be any distractions at all."

Read more:
Xavi and Puyol on the elections
Iniesta prefers elections at the end of the season
Iniesta and Xavi on the elections

The Pundit: Sergi Pamies on the electoral built-up

« Fasten your seatbelts and get ready to live a turbulent period in which, besides the nice words, the intoxication in its multiple and most appetizing forms will prevail. As far as I know, the built-up to the elections consists of defending your project and, at the same time, throwing dirt on the others. Those are compatible and simultaneous activities. »

Sergi Pàmies,
La Vanguardia

check more pundit talk