Llaurado will not run for president

Catalan sports paper Sport reports that former Barcelona vice-president Jaume Llauradó, who yesterday assisted the meeting of Barcelona presidential candidate Sandro Rosell, has released a note in which he announces that he will not take part in the upcoming elections for president of FC Barcelona because of personal reasons.

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 close to renouncing his candidacy
Possible candidate Llaurado buys football club
Llaurado to announce candidacy at last minute

Possible candidate Llaurado buys football club

Former Barcelona vice-president and possible presidential candidate Jaume Llauradó has recently bought Spanish fourth division club Badajoz.

Badajoz is a city in the autonomous community of Extramadura, in western Spain, that borders with Portugal.

Together with Mauro Gianetti, a Swiss former professional cyclist, Llauradó acquired a few months ago around 60 per cent of the shares of the club and the 65-year old Catalan businessman was in January appointed as board member of the club.

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 close to renouncing his candidacy
Will Llaurado run for the fourth time?
Llaurado confirms that he will run

sources: hoy, el periódico de extremadura

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?

Llaurado to announce candidacy at last minute

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that former Barcelona vice-president Jaume Llauradó will particpate in the presidential elections in the summer but that he will only make his candidacy public at the very last moment because he doesn't want the elections to affect the team performances.

Llauradó would be convinced that he will be able to collect the signatures of club members needed to take part in the final vote on 13 June, although the ex-director wouldn't exclude the option of joining another candidate and become that way a member of the future board.

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Llauradó will certainly actively take part in the campaign but that he will only make a decision on his exact role - as part of a candidacy or as observer at the the sideline - when the elections are officially called some 40 days before the day of the vote.

The 65-year old Catalan businessman would nevertheless already been negotiating with Catalan advertising agent Fernando Martorell, the former president of Espanyol Barcelona, to take charge of his campaign if he would in the end decide to run for president.

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 (read more here). Llauradó is also the president of FC Barcelona think tank Fòrum Samitier.

Read more:
Llaurado confirms that he will run
The Pundit: Miguel Rico on chances Guixa and Llaurado
Llaurado admits talks with Minguella and Rexach

Poll result: Who will you vote for?

Who do you plan to vote for in the elections on 13 June?

Sandro Rosell 33%
Ferran Soriano 11%
Alfons Godall 7%
Jaume Ferrer 4%
Jaume Llauradó 2%

Don't know 36%
Won't vote 4%
Other candidates 3%

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 vote intention polls here
check more election poll results here

The Pundit: Miguel Rico on chances Guixa and Llaurado

« The chances of Jaume Llauradó and Jaume Guixà are the same as last time. None. Regulars in the line-up, they do not lose their dreams or hopes. Only time and money. »

Miguel Rico,
El Mundo Deportivo

check more pundit talk

Llaurado admits talks with Minguella and Rexach

Possible Barcelona presidential candidate Jaume Llauradó gave an interview to Catalan sports weekly paper Gol.


Will you run for president of Barça or not?
I have not yet made a decision.

On what does it depend?
On a few things.

They told me that a candidacy is being formed around the figure of Carles Rexach, that includes Minguella, Roche, Parera... And with you as key person.
If I would deny that, I would be lying to you. But I don't think that this project in the end will go through.

Why would that list be headed by Rexach and not by yourself?
A lot of people have to participate in a candidacy, not only people with ideas, but also people who scratch their pockets. If I will finally take part in the elections or not, depends on a meeting with another likely candidate and on the number of candidacies there will be. When there are many, there will be less possibilities to have an original project and reach the club members. In a few days, things will be clear.

Read more:
Will Llaurado run for the fourth time?
Minguella and Medina behind Rexach candidacy
Llaurado confirms that he will run

Llaurado confirms that he will run

Former Barcelona vice-president Jaume Llauradó has confirmed to Catalan television channel TV3 that he will be a candidate in the elections for president of FC Barcelona later this year (read more here). The 65-year old Catalan businessman would officially present his candidacy once the elections are called.

Catalan radio station RAC 1 claims thay Llauradó was not happy that the story was leaked to the press and that he didn't want to make statement to them until the elections are officially called. Since he didn't deny, the radio station sees this as a confirmation that he will take part.

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Llauradó at least wants to improve his score of the 2003 elections when he obtained less than 2 per cent of the votes. Catalan sports paper Sport reports that Llauradó has already his headquarters, a campaign team and the financial means in place.

Catalan sports journalist Alex Santos meanwhile writes on his blog that people close to Llauradó see the news reports more as a poll to see how the Barcelona voters would react to a possible new candidacy of the former Barcelona director.

Read more:
Former vice-president Llaurado will run for president
Who will be the next president of FC Barcelona?
Will Llaurado run for the fourth time?

Former vice-president Llaurado will run for president

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Jaume Llauradó will take part in the elections for president of FC Barcelona later this year. The 65-year old Catalan businessman would make an official announcemnt in the coming days.

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 (read more here). Llauradó is also the president of FC Barcelona think tank Fòrum Samitier.

Read more:
Will Llaurado run for the fourth time?
Will former super-agent run for president?
Bassat will not run a third time

Will Llaurado run for the fourth time?

One of the people rumoured to be a possible candidate in next year's elections for president of FC Barcelona is Jaume Llauradó, a 65-year old Catalan businessman who has already been involved in several presidential elections.

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 (read more here). Llauradó is also the president of FC Barcelona think tank Fòrum Samitier.

Catalan sports paper Sport claimed in September that Llauradó was seriously considering to run again for president, while Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claimed around the same time that he seemed ready to give it another try on his own.

Catalan sports paper El 9 Esportiu meanwhile claims that Llauradó, who could have been one of the people former players' agent and former presidential candidate Josep Maria Minguella has been holding talks with to try to form a candidacy (read more here), might soon announce that he wants to run, mainly to avoid a win of someone who has been part of the team of Barcelona president Joan Laporta.

Catalan sports weekly paper Gol claims that Llauradó would be willing to take part if Barcelona treasurer Xavier Sala i Martín would be a candidate, with Llauradó being rumoured to have said: "If he will run, I will run too, so I'll have the chance to say everything I want to say."

Llauradó may also be part of or support another candidacy that would in no case be the one supported by current president Laporta, because the former vice-president reportedly doesn't agree with the way Laporta would have introduced politics into the club.

Several people involved in the election campaign that were contacted by this blog said that they are unaware of a possible candidacy of Llauradó.

Read more:
Will former super-agent run for president?
Bassat will not run a third time
Former candidate Angel Fernandez will not run

Who will be the next president of FC Barcelona?

this article was originally published at fcbtransfers.blogspot.com


In May or June next year, Barcelona's club members will appoint a new president. After two terms, current president Joan Laporta cannot run again. Who are the candidates to succeed him?


1. The continuity candidate
The current Barcelona board wants to put forward one candidate who should continue the current project. In recent weeks and months, this seemed to have become a struggle between marketing vice-president Jaume Ferrer and recently appointed board member Xavier Sala i Martín.

While Sala, a professor of economics at Columbia University in New York, would have the support of president Laporta, Ferrer would be backed by the majority of the board members. First vice-president Alfons Godall, who first had said that he would not run, has put himself back on the map in two interviews earlier this week and could become the consensus candidate. A decision is expected to be made in December or January.

2. Sandro Rosell (former sports vice-president, board member 2003-2005) (picture)
Rosell is until this moment the only one who has publicly announced - in the summer of 2008 - that he will run for president. He has started to prepare for the elections shortly after he resigned as vice-president in 2005.

Rosell has long been seen as the favourite to become the next president although this could have changed because of last season's sporting succeses of the team. Rosell is seen as the architect of the team around Brazilian player Ronaldinho that won two league titles and one Champions League under coach Frank Rijkaard.

3. Ferran Soriano (former economic vice-president, board member 2003-2008)
Until he stepped down together with several other board members last summer, Soriano was considered to be the most likely "board candidate" for the elections. Soriano is seen as the architect of the current healthier financial situation of the club, compared to the situation when Laporta took office back in 2003. Because of his new job as chairman of airline company Spanair it has become uncertain if Soriano will run.

4. The Others
Several other names of people from the "entorn", the club's entourage, are rumoured to try to set up a candidature. Former presidental candidates like Jordi Majó, Josep Maria Minguella or Jaume Llauradó could again make an attempt, although none of them are expected to have a serious chance and they might try to link up with one of the main candidates trying to get a place in the board.

(vaguely based on an article in Catalan sports paper Sport)