Former president Nunez will support Rosell

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that former Barcelona president Josep Lluís Núñez supports the candidacy of Barcelona presidential candidate Sandro Rosell.

Núnez, who has been silent on club matters since he left as president ten years ago, would yesterday have decided to make that support public, although the way in which that will happen is not yet clear.

Josep Lluís Núñez is a 78-year old Catalan businessman from the construction and the hotel sector. He was elected as president of FC Barcelona in 1978. Núñez was five times re-elected before resigning from his post in 2000.

Read more:
Nunez takes distance from candidate
Poll result: Best Barcelona president ever?
Former president Nunez to run with support Cruyff

Nunez takes distance from candidate

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that former Barcelona president Josep Lluís Núñez distances himself from Catalan businessman Juan Manuel Alcaraz [picture], who would be seriously considering to be a candidate in the upcoming elections for president of FC Barcelona (read more here).

The entourage of the ex-president would have made clear to the paper that there's no link at all between Núñez and Alcaraz after reports in the press suggested that Alcaraz would be the candidate that could get the support of the Núñez family. The former president would not plan to take part in any way in the elections.

Read more:
Businessman linked with Nunez to run for president
New candidates getting ready to appear on stage
Former director Castells considering election role

Businessman linked with Nunez to run for president

Spanish radio station Radio Marca claims that Catalan businessman Juan Manuel Alcaraz has made the decision to take part in the elections for president of FC Barcelona in June of this year.

Alcaraz would have been sounded out by all the other candidacies to join them but would in the end have decided to run for president with an own project that reportedly has the strong support of a group of Catalan business people.

The new presidential candidate would have an excellent social and economic network and is said to be a close friend of former Barcelona vice-president Josep Lluís Nuñez i Navarro, the son of ex-president Josep Lluis Nuñez.

Juan Manuel Alcaraz is a 42-year old entrepreneur from the construction sector. Since 2007, he is married with Spanish television presenter Alejandra Prat.

Read more:
New candidates getting ready to appear on stage
Former president Nunez to run with support Cruyff
Former candidate Angel Fernandez will not run

Poll result: Best Barcelona president ever?

Who do you think has been the best president in the history of Barça?

Josep Lluís Núñez 45,6%
Joan Laporta 25%
Joan Gamper 11,2%
Agustí Montal 3,8%
Francesc Miró-Sans 3%
Montal Galobart 2,4%
Others 1%
Don't know/Don't answer 8%

total votes: 1000
date poll: 11 to 14 enero 2010
poll method: telephone inteviews with club members who have the right to vote, 95% certainty
source: diari gol

check more election poll results here

Former president Nunez to run with support Cruyff

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that former Barcelona president Josep Lluís Núñez will take part in the elections for president of FC Barcelona next spring.

Núñez would have been discretely preparing a candidacy and will make a public announcement during the first week of the new year. Several candidates would be considering to drop out of the race if Núñez will run again for president because of the popularity of the latter.

Former Barcelona player and manager Johan Cruyff would become sports vice-president if Núñez is elected president. Louis Van Gaal would have agreed to join as sports director and would bring Franck Ribéry with him from Bayern Munich. Guardiola could stay on as coach and former Barcelona player Jesús Angoy, the son in law of Cruyff, would act as goalkeeping coach.

Josep Lluís Núñez was the president of FC Barcelona from 1978 until 2000. The 78-year old Catalan businessman has been the longest serving president in the history of the club and the most successful president in terms of winning trophies.

Read more:
Former candidate Angel Fernandez will not run
Will Llaurado run for the fourth time?
Former director Millet considers being candidate

Guixa: "The most powerful candidacy is ours"

Barcelona presidential candidate Jaume Guixà gave an interview to Catalan sports paper El 9 Esportiu.


You are president of a penya, a Barcelona fans' club. Do you think you could have the support of a large part of the fans' clubs?
I would be the first president of a fans' club to preside over the club and that is a very exciting thought. The laportism has been distancing themselves from the penyes. There have been four different vice-presidents in charge of the social area and with none of them there has been an improvement. The fans' clubs, which are the backbone of the club around the country, are discouraged and absent.

The fact that Jaume Sobrequés [former vice-president between 1993 and 2000, read more here] is part of your candidacy could lead to think you will try to collect the votes of the supporters of former president Núñez.
I won't hide myself. For me, the reign of Núñez has brought the club very good things. He had a vision for the future on issues like the acquisition of the land, for example that of the current training centre, or the start of the youth academy... Jaume Sobrequés represents the freedom of thought. He always says what he thinks and that is his main quality. He's not just part of my candidacy to be on the list, but to work.

In 2006, you were also supported by Jordi Majó [candidate in the 2003 elections, when he finished third behind joan laporta and lluís bassat].
Yes, I contacted him to ask his advice on some issues regarding the electoral process. And although he did not want to support anyone, he saw we were acting in a serious and professional way and he gave us his support. The truth is that I have not talked with him recently, but the doors are open for everyone.

Back then, some also accused you of having the secret support of Sandro Rosell.
I have always denied that. We only wanted that there was an alternative in those elections. We had been working in the shadow for a long time, not because I was the straw man of anyone, but because we wanted to put together a serious project.

People think that the electoral battle between some candidates will be very tough, maybe even dirty. Does that concern you?
Since I wasn't part of the internal struggles over the recent years, this doesn't worry me at all. It is true that fifteen directors have resigned from Laporta's board and that some of those might take part in the elections, but we'll see what happens. We just want to present our project and some serious people.

Do you rule out any deal with other candidates?
I leave the door open to all club members who have motivation, time and resources to add to our candidacy. Barcelona people can join us.

But would you close an agreement with another, more powerful candidate?
At this moment, the most powerful candidacy is ours, really. We believe we can make it to the final vote.

And can you guarantee that you will be able to deposit the necessary bank guarantees?
Of course. Otherwise I would not have started this. I do believe, however, that this point of the statutes should be amended. There are fans with good ideas that might not have enough financial means to get involved. It is an unfair restriction.

this is the second and last part of this interview.

Read the first part of this interview:
Guixa: "The club is almost bankrupt"