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- Poll result: Who do you (not) want to be president?
- Polls: Who do you (not) want to be president?
- Live Coverage: Fourth presidential debate
- Rosell company involved in Brazilian investigation
- Guixa will vote for Ferrer
- Cartoon 44: A Camp Nou 2.0?
- Weekly Round-Up (26): Four days to the vote
- Live Coverage: Third presidential debate
- Ten impertinent questions: Jaume Ferrer
- Plaza will return blank ballot paper
- Rumours about pact Benedito-Ingla-Ferrer
- Cartoon 43: Laporta above election battle
- [picture] The second debate
- Ten impertinent questions: Agusti Benedito
- Ingla reveals his plan for Camp Nou 2.0
- [picture] Sandro Rosell at the market
- Cartoon 42: Jaume Ferrer
- Rosell wants Sala i Martin as advisor
- Poll Voting Intentions: One Week Before
- Guixa will make his vote public
- [picture] The first debate
- [video] Japanese support for Ingla
- Cartoon 41: President Benedito
- Ingla contradicts presumed season-ticket upgrade
- [2003] Jewish name causes upset in first debate
- The first presidential debate
- [picture] The paella of Marc Ingla
- Benedito wants sections to have own president
- Poll: Who would you vote for?
- Ferrer: "Barça is a club that unites"
- [2003] Txiki has talked with all six candidates
- Most read of the week
- [picture] The children of Sandro Rosell
- [video] The campaign song of Jaume Ferrer
- Ingla: "I will be a very quiet president"
- Benedito introduces "associate" and "barcelonista"
- Weekly Round-Up (25): The Final Four
- The Quotes: Benedito, Ingla, Ferrer, Rosell
- [picture] The football table of Marc Ingla
- [2003] Rosell and Txiki meeting with Hiddink
- Ferrer: "You have to consider where the club was"
- [picture] Sandro Rosell and his sofa
- The Quotes: Benedito, Ferrer, Bartomeu, Ingla
- Rosell has concrete plan to limit club members
- Rosell, Ingla, Ferrer and Benedito official candid...
- Cartoon 40: Ferrer wants to resemble Laporta more
- Inter hopes to sign Guardiola after elections
- Most read of the month
- [picture] Marc Ingla and Alicia Keys
- Rosell considers Koeman as sports director
- The Quotes: Rosell, Ingla, Ferrer, Benedito
- Cartoon 39: Rosell overpowers opponents
- The final number of signatures of support
- [picture] Sandro Rosell and member number 1
- [2003] Rosell to London to close Beckham deal
- Live Coverage: End of signatures process
- Xavi has a favourite candidate in the elections
- At least three television debates next week
Catalan weekly paper El Triangle claims that former Barcelona president Joan Gaspart supports the candidacy of Barcelona presidential candidate Marc Ingla in the upcoming presidential elections.
The paper bases their claim on the fact that seven hotels - six in the city Barcelona and one in the Catalan province of Girona - of hotel chain Husa that is owned by Gaspart are places where club members can go and deposit their signature of support for Ingla.
Asked about his position in the elections, Gaspart said in an interview with Catalan radio station Ona FM that he doesn't plan to give his support to a candidate: "Josep Lluís Núñez has every right to give his signature of support to Sandro Rosell, but I won't support any candidate."
Read more:
The Quote: Joan Gaspart Former president Nunez will support Rosell Spanair board divided on Soriano candidacy
Catalan radio station Ona FM claims that former Barcelona marketing and sports vice-president Marc Ingla is still considering to run for president in the elections on 13 June and would be closer to make a final decision (read more here).
Ingla would hold tomorrow a meeting with his collaborators to discuss the possibility of taking part in the elections. Ingla, who would have been the number two in case former Barcelona economic vice-president Ferran Soriano would have run, can reportedly count on the support of most of the board members who left the club in 2008 after the vote of no confidence (read more here).
Read more: Former vice-president Ingla considering to run Soriano will not run for president Former vice-president Ingla will run for president
Speaking to Catalan radio station Ona FM, Barcelona director Jordi Torrent [picture, on the right], who is part of the candidacy of Barcelona assets vice-president Jaume Ferrer, has said that the support of Barcelona president Joan Laporta for Ferrer doesn't change anything to their initial project:
"Laporta has now decided to give his support to our candidacy and after the other candidate withdrew his project, Ferrer is at this moment the only board candidate left and he will not accept impositions.
Joan Oliver? He has a contract until 30 June and that's when we will see what we will do. But it's clear that the chief executive should be someone who has the full confidence of the president. Ferran Soriano? As every club member, he has the chance to collaborate with us."
Catalan sport paper Sport claimed last week that Laporta would only give his public support to the candidacy of Ferrer if four conditions would be fulfilled, although the paper later said that the vice-president didn't plan to accept any impositions.
The four conditions mentioned were: that Ferrer wouldn't close a deal with former Barcelona economic vice-president Ferran Soriano that would make the latter the head of the candidacy, that Joan Oliver would continue as chief executive, that all current directors who want to continue would be given a place in the board team of Ferrer and that Ferrer would accept the support of Barcelona treasurer Xavier Sala i Martín.
Read more:Director Torrent will be right-hand man Ferrer Laporta confirms board support for Ferrer Ferrer presenting three new team members
in this section, we ask catalan and spanish sports journalists five questions about the elections for president of fc barcelona. today: edu polo from catalan radio station ona fm.1. Is it possible that Ferran Soriano joins the candidacy of Alfons Godall as number two?
Yes, it is possible, either as number two or even as number one. It's still a long way to 13 June and past elections have learnt us that a lot of deals can be closed until a few days before the vote. Soriano will have a decisive role in the elections, but it's not yet clear if he will be the number one or the star number two of the Godall candidacy. I think that we will soon hear from Ferran Soriano, although what will be said now might not be definitive since there are more than three months left and a lot of things can still happen.
2. How can it be explained that Sandro Rosell, the candidate who until now has spoken the least, is leading the polls?
Because people are already talking for many years about Sandro Rosell as a future president of Barça. And because an important part of the media have done a lot for him. It is, of course taking into account the differences, a similar case as that of Florentino last year. He did not talk, but everybody talked about him. And that way he won easily. So far Sandro's case seems pretty similar, although Rosell will have more competition than Florentino had and in the next polls Godall will certainly have risen a lot. Sandro is the big favorite, but he should be careful. Bassat also was.
3. How many candidates will be on the ballot paper on 13 June?
I think there sure will be three. Rosell, the one that heads the Godall-Soriano candidacy and Benedito. I'm not that sure about Ferrer and Guixà.
4. Joan Laporta would be re-elected if he could again take part in the elections?
It is impossible to know and it depends on factors that are still uncertain, like for example Barça winning the Champions League at the Bernabéu. But it is clear that many club members would want to keep what is working and Laporta, although he has many detractors, has a lot of charisma. He could be. One should also take into account that the electoral roll has grown a lot and that there are thousands of club members without a season-ticket, mostly young people, who have never voted and nobody knows what members with that specific profile will do.
5. Do you think it will be a tough campaign, between the candidates and/or in the media?
Everything indicates that it will be a very dirty campaign. You only have to recall the case of the detectives or Sala i Martín attacking Rosell at the presentation of Godall to foresee a tough and dirty campaign.
THE EXTRAS As a club member of Barça, who will you vote for?I am a member and I always vote. It does not seem right to answer, but I also first want to hear about the projects of the candidates. At this moment we hardly know anything, we only know that Godall wants to maintain the current model, but little more.All your possessions are at stake. Give the top-3 of the elections on 13 June.I stick to what I said about those who will arrive at the vote. 1 Rosell, 2 Godall-Soriano, 3 Benedito.Thank you for this interview and your time. Good luck in covering the rest of the season and the elections.read the previous episodes of this series:francisco ávila (efe)miquel pellicer (el mundo deportivo)
Catalan radio station Ona FM claims that former Barcelona economic vice-president Ferran Soriano will soon officially announce that he will run for president of FC Barcelona in the upcoming elections later this year.The chairman of Spanish airline Spanair would lead a candidacy that would include current board members, among which Barcelona first vice-president Alfons Godall and Barcelona treasurer Xavier Sala i Martín, and former board members, among which ex-sports vice-president Marc Ingla. Barcelona chief executive Joan Oliver would not be part of the candidacy.Soriano would make his candidacy public after he has solved some issues he has left on the table at Spanair. Barcelona president Joan Laporta was reportedly unwilling to accept Soriano as candidate but would now think that it would be the best option to win the elections. Catalan sports paper El 9 Esportiu claims that there have been intensified talks between Godall and Soriano over the last days, in which the current vice-president would have accepted to leave Soriano the first place of a joint candidacy. With now mainly the discussion on who should be part of the list left, the deal would be announced at the latest in two or three weeks time.Barcelona treasurer Xavier Sala i Martín has in the meantime nevertheless denied on his Facebook page that Soriano would head the candidacy he will be part of: "The reports that the continuity candidacy will be led by Ferran Soriano are false! The continuity candidacy will be led by Alfonso Godall. The integrationist character of Alfons makes him trying to restore relations with people as valid as Ferran Soriano. But the leader (and the next president of the club) is Alfons Godall. There is no doubt about that nor is this an object of negotiation. Period." Read more:Soriano: "I don't rule out anything"Poll result: Who will you vote for?Could Soriano lead Godall candidacy?
Catalan sports weekly paper Gol claims that former Barcelona player and manager Johan Cruyff will support the candidacy of Barcelona first vice-president Alfons Godall in the upcoming elections for president of FC Barcelona.
With Godall as president, the Dutchman could keep his privileged position as external adviser of the club.
Asked about the issue, Godall, who confirmed one week ago that he wil run for president, said last week in an interview with Catalan radio station Ona FM that he would be delighted to receive the support of Cruyff.
Read more:
Which role could Cruyff play in the elections?
Rosell skeptical about economic situation
Laporta wanted to replace Rosell by Cruyff
Asked about the upcoming presidential elections, Barcelona left back defender Eric Abidal has said in an interview with Catalan radio station Ona FM that in his opinion the current model should be continued by people who are now part of the board:"We've done good things over the past 18 months and now we want to continue in the same way. So the club has to continue with the same people, right? It's a bit a matter of philosophy. I think that each member of this board has the same philosophy as the president.
For me it is better to continue in the same way and that someone is chosen who has stood the president and who has been travelling with us. It would be perfect if the president could continue because he knows the club, but the people who were with him do too.
Do the players talk about the election process? We do, because at this moment it's the most important club issue."Read more:Puyol and Iniesta on the electionsIniesta prefers elections at the end of the seasonGuardiola not worried about elections
During the past week, Barcelona assets vice-president Jaume Ferrer talked about the upcoming elections and his own run for the presidency in interviews with Catalan radio stations Ona FM and RAC 1. Some excerpts.His club modelThe current model should stay in place but should be renewed. This should happen by allowing the professionals to work while the board stays more in the background. The board of directors should take the decisions but that should happen in a discreet way.
In the economic and sporting areas, we should basically continue with the project we have now. In the social area on the other hand, there's a lot of work to do. The members should feel the club is theirs.Sports directorThe model of having a sports director and a coach has worked well over the past years and I think it's the best model for FC Barcelona at this moment and that it should be continued. Giving the coach more powers isn't and has never been the model of FC Barcelona.
I would be very happy if Txiki Begiristain could continue since he has been a key figure. And if he doesn't, it should be someone with the same profile. I don't think it's right to talk already about possible successors, also because the first thing I will do is trying to convince Txiki to stay.Role of the sports vice-presidentThe board of directors should be very discreet at this moment. The focus should be on the players and the coaches, who are the ones who play and win the games. The director who's responsible for the first team should therefore play a role of go-between between the board and the professionals in the sports area.Possible collaboration with Sandro RosellI know very little of the project of Sandro Rosell because he didn't yet explain anything, so I don't know if we share certain points. What I do know is that we have been board colleagues during a certain time. We had a good relationship and if he'll present his program, we'll see.But it's clear to me what my program will be and now that we have come this far, we want to go on until the end and not make deals with anyone. I sure don't have bad feelings towards him about what happened in the past. I think one should be able to forget.I think it's good he's a candidate in the elections, I will also be one and others will too. He's leading in the polls now, but the only valid polls are on the day of the elections. I think it's good that the club members will have a choice and will be able to say which candidate convinces them the most.FranquesaI've always had, and still have, a very good relationship with him and the doors will always be open for him.Transfer rumours during the campaignI think all the presidential candidates should try not to talk about football players. It would be wrong to do that. Of couse the club cannot stop and the next season should be prepared and I guess Pep Guardiola and the staff will want to sign some player or change something about the squad. But it's the current sports director who should work on that.Chat session on TwitterWe'll look at that option. I've also opened a Twitter account but I haven't yet thought about a chat like Rosell has done. We'll see how things went for him and maybe we'll also consider doing it.SorianoI would like him to take part in the elections, with an own project. it would be good to confront our ideas, although I don't veto him.Camp NouThe stadium needs to be remodelled, but we first should solve our problems with the city council. It's also clear to me that this remodelling should focus on what the club really needs. Therefore we might have to reconsider the Foster project.Read more:Ferrer thinks one board candidacy is unlikelyFormer vice-president Franquesa to join FerrerNo deal after new Godall-Ferrer negotiations
Asked about the upcoming elections, Barcelona assets vice-president Jaume Ferrer has repeated in an interview with Catalan radio station Ona FM that it's unlikely there will be one single board candidacy and that he will surely be a candidate in the elections: "There will probably be two candidacies. It's very difficult to reach an agreement with the other group, because we already have our project and we want to take part in the elections. If others want to join us, we're open to that but we think that our project is a good one."Read more:No deal after new Godall-Ferrer negotiationsTreasurer Sala invites Ferrer to join Godall groupRosell and Ferrer want fitness entrepreneur
Barcelona presidential candidate Agustí Benedito has in the past weeks given several interviews to Catalan newspapers, radio stations and television channels. This blog will give an overview of what the Catalan businessman had to say.
As a preface you can read this blog's five-parts introduction series on Benedito and the opinion piece he published last month.
Salary employees and players
I believe there should be more transparency and that the club members, as owners of the club, should be informed about the salaries of the executives of the club. And the same goes for the players.
I think the fans want to know these things and have the right to know. In general, we should be more economical, in all areas. This also involves the number of employees, which has increased from 170-180 in 2002 to over 300 now.
The exit of board members
When we formed our candidacy back in 2003, we thought we didn't have a lot of chances to win. We saw it more as another step - we had already been involved in a couple of elections. We wanted to let ourselves know, to play a role, to explain our project so that the next time, in 2007, we could win. But we won in 2003.
It's true that not all the directors knew each other for years. So you hadn't those close and long personal relationships and that could also have led to what we've seen over the years.
Fifteen people from the board of directors have left over the years, Joan Franquesa being the last one. And not counting members of several commissions of the club. I nevertheless think that every dismissal had its own specific circumstances and that there isn't one reason for this.
The group of Rosell for example left for different reasons than the ones who left after the vote of no confidence. In the case of Sandro Rosell, there was an internal power battle going on within the board, others have left for other reasons. Every case was different so I don't think it's fair to say that president Laporta is responsible for all the dismissals.
Franquesa? I have been very close with Joan. I talked with him before he left. He's a great person and an even greater Barcelona fan and it's a pity that the club won't be able to count on his qualities anymore. I'm sure he has had his reasons and for a man like him to leave the club, these must have been very serious. I can only wish him all the best.
Begiristain
I think that the era of Txiki will come to an end next year. I don't know what he will decide but what is clear to me is that if we win the elections, Txiki Begiristain won't continue. We will propose something else, but this is still too sensitive at this moment so I prefer to wait until the campaign starts to talk about our proposal.
Link with Rosell
I have a good relationship with some of the people who apparently will be part of the candidacy of Sandro, like for example Jordi Moix, but I haven't offered him to collaborate with him.
Before making the decision to run mid-July, I have indeed been talking with him but also with other people, namely current or former board members like Ferran Soriano, Albert Vicens, Albert Perrín, Joan Franquesa, Josep María Bartomeu, basically with a lot of people.
New Camp Nou
I think the Foster project has been dealt with badly from the start. The stadium needs a remodeling because it's 52 years old, but the investment shouldn't be so massive.
The budget is 250 million euros but the majority of the specialists say that it could in the end cost the club 400 million euros. It's a decision that is economically and strategically so important for the club that it can only be made after consulting with the fans.
this is the fourth and last part of a series.Read the previous parts of this series:More about Benedito (1): His reason for running
More about Benedito (2): On Laporta and Guardiola
More about Benedito (3): On his exit and politics
sources:
el 9 esportiu, catalunya ràdio, com ràdio, ona fm, tv cugat, tv3
Barcelona presidential candidate Agustí Benedito has in the past weeks given several interviews to Catalan newspapers, radio stations and television channels. This blog will give an overview of what the Catalan businessman had to say.
As a preface you can read this blog's five-parts introduction series on Benedito and the opinion piece he published last month.His exit
By trying to sell Mallorca, Laporta crossed a line that one cannot cross and I didn't accept that. I found out that he had tried to enrich himself by obtaining a commission of 4,2 million euros and that's why I decided to quit (read more here). I thought it was very serious and I felt disappointed when Laporta confirmed the newspaper report at a press conference.
And since I don't have to power to make the president of Barça resign, I resigned myself and left the club. After having talked with a lot of people I got to know within the club, I went to see Laporta at the club offices. Since he wasn't there, I handed my resignation letter to his secretary and since that day I haven't talk with him again.
When I was at the club, people told me many things about Laporta, but when I asked them if they had proof, they didn't. The first clear facts I had was when he admitted that his office had mediated in an attempt by Uzbeks to buy Mallorca. If I would have had clear evidence sooner, I would have left sooner.
At the start of Laporta's mandate there were already events that made clear that things wouldn’t go the way they were meant to go. For example when he closed a deal with Gaspart at the Majestic hotel that no veils would be lifted.
But you think that if you leave, that won't help the change that was meant to take place. So you continue thinking that it's for the good cause. I thought the easy thing was to leave and with a function in the club you have at least some power to change something. It's like the voter of a political party who doesn't vote for the opposition when he sees that there's something in his own party he doesn't like.
Chief executive Joan Oliver
I don't know Joan Oliver very well. I didn't deal with him a lot since he arrived in July 2008, replacing Anna Xicoy, and I left the club in February 2009. But as far as I know, his profile and his way of acting is not at all compatible with what we think about the function of chief executive.
Politics
The fact that Barça is connected to the world of politics is a consequence of the immense fame the club has, abroad but certainly at home. It can therefore be interesting for politicians to be linked to the club but I think the latest acts by the presidents are going to far.
The catalanism of the club is clear, it's essential for the club, it's part of the roots of the club but it shouldn't be linked to concrete politics or party politics. That might have been necesary in the past, but now the club shouldn't get involved in political matters. If I will be the next president, that's how things will be.
Salary president
There are some examples in Spanish football of presidents who are paid for the job but those involve clubs that are joint stock companies. In any case, I don't think that the president of Barça should get a salary.
this is the third part of a four-parts serie. you will be able to read the last parts in the coming days with benedito giving his opinion, among other things, on the continuation of sports director txiki begiristain and on the plan to remodel the camp nou. Read the previous parts of this series:More about Benedito (1): His reason for running
More about Benedito (2): On Laporta and Guardiola
sources:
el 9 esportiu, catalunya ràdio, com ràdio, ona fm, tv cugat, tv3
Barcelona presidential candidate Agustí Benedito has in the past weeks given several interviews to Catalan newspapers, radio stations and television channels. This blog will give an overview of what the Catalan businessman had to say.
As a preface you can read this blog's five-parts introduction series on Benedito and the opinion piece he published earlier this month.Laporta's reign
There are things he hasn't been able to do and there are things he hasn't wanted to do. He had a unique, historical chance to make an irreversible change but he lost track. Laporta has for some reason deviated a lot from the model of the Elefant Blau [former barcelona opposition group] and has been losing control lately.
In the seven years before he became president we had talked and discussed a lot about how the club should be led, about our model, what we wanted to change. On crucial themes, he hasn't been able to push through what we wanted.
We're then talking about transparency, especially the communication with the club members, about honesty and about participation, ways to get the club members more involved. There he failed.
In general, he clearly passed the test. I would give him a 6. But regarding certain issues, that were very important back in the days, he failed. So there might be some disappointment from my side, especially because most of this happened because he didn't want to change certain things. But where Laporta failed, there we will succeed.
If I will win, I will of course lift the veils of the Laporta era. It will be an exercise of transparency, something the club members deserve and have been waiting for for many years. I think it's an ethical and moral duty.
Guardiola
Well, what can I say? I'm a guardiolist. He has done an amazing, incredible job, that might be unsurpassable. As a club member, I don't think there's a better way for our team to continue like they're doing now, than by keeping Guardiola in charge.
So if I could decide, Guardiola would be there for many more years. In our sporting model concerning the first team, his place is assured. But I think that will be a decision that will mainly depend on Josep Guardiola. I sure think that Guardiola knows the club that well that he will be very careful not to intervene in the elections.
Salary chief executive Oliver
A possible 900.000 euros is four or five times more than the former general director Anna Xicoy, who did an excellent job in my opinion. So I think this is too much, it's disproportionate and I don't understand the change in the salary policy. If I'm chosen as the new president, the chief executive won't earn more than 400.000 euros.
Sale of the Mini Estadi site
In 2003, the promise that the team of Laporta has repeated the most was that we wouldn't sell one square meter of club property. For me, the 2003 program is still valid and so I'm against it. Club assets should only be sold in a crisis situation and that's not the case now.
Although I took part in a vote of no confidence against Josep Lluís Núñez, I can recognize that he considerably increased the assets of the club. And now I can only say that Laporta is selling what Núñez had bought.
Season tickets
Barcelona has over 184.000 club members, 100.000 of which cannot come to the stadium to watch the games, which is the main activity of the club. Some people have to wait ten years to be able to buy a season ticket.
All this should lead us to start thinking about how to deal with that. An option could be rotating season tickets, like is done by some English clubs.
Bank guarantee
We have this legal obligation, which is in my opinion a disadvantage for us compared with other clubs. As you know Barça and three other Liga clubs have decided not to change themselves in public limited companies, which means that our boards have to put down a bank guarantee that is worth 15 per cent of the club's budget while for the others it's only 5 per cent.
Of course that limits the possibilities for a lot of club members to become part of the board of directors. Because at this moment, with Barça's budget of 400 million euros that would mean a guarantee of around 60 million euros. Our candidacy has looked at it, we have contacted financial institutions to discuss things and as it's a legal obligation, we will cumply with it.
this is the second part of a four-parts serie. you can read the first part here. you will be able to read the next parts in the coming days with benedito giving his opinion, among other things, on the continuation of sports director txiki begiristain and on the plan to remodel the camp nou. Read more:Benedito: "It won't be a matter of two candidates"Poll result: Can Benedito win the elections?Barça, a 'wonderful rarity' (by Agustí Benedito)sources:
el 9 esportiu, catalunya ràdio, com ràdio, ona fm, tv cugat, tv3
Barcelona presidential candidate Agustí Benedito has in the past weeks given several interviews to Catalan newspapers, radio stations and television channels. This blog will give an overview of what the Catalan businessman had to say.
As a preface you can read this blog's five-parts introduction series on Benedito and the opinion piece he published earlier this month.His reason for runningSince 1997, when I was part of the candidacy of Angel Fernández, I have in a way been linked to the club and during that time I have formed myself an idea about the club, how I think it should be or how I would want it to be. And after discussions with a lot of other people, we have now a clear project for Barça.Because we think our model is different compared to the project of the current board as well as to the project that will probably be presented by Sandro Rosell, our group has decided to run. My vanity isn't really well-developed, so that's certainly not why I'm taking part in the elections. And I think my track record proves that.Basic ideasBesides what happens on the pitch and what this club means for Catalonia, the key characteristic of this club is that it's owned by the club members, which is unique in the world and which seems to have been forgotten by the last presidents of Barça. We will elaborate a concrete project based on some key principles, that might even be more important than the sporting results.Ethics are the main thing. You can always make a mistake but ethics are essential. I think we can obtain the same results, but with a governance that is more transparent, more honest and more participatory. We propose to recover and to update the spirit we had in the year 2003, that was based on principles like transparency, honesty, participation and representativeness.His campaignMid-July, a group of club members made the final decision to take part in the elections and that I would lead this candidacy. We thought that none of the other candidacies would represent the model we want for the club. Our project is very well thought through, very detailled, very concrete.
We have people responsible for the communication, a lot of people have responded to the video we put out (watch the subtitled video here), but we don't yet have a campaign director. We didn't yet decide what our slogan will be, although there are some ideas going around. We sure will try to communicate in a different, innovative way.I cannot yet announce names of people that will be part of my team. I have been talking with everyone who could be important for the club: political parties, financial institutions, business people, journalists and so on. That was just about informing them, having a first contact and getting to know each other.
We plan to invest 500.000 euros in this campaign. If we don't win the elections, we will continue to work in the benefit of Barça but in that case from outside the club.Possible opponentsThings aren't very clear yet. I think there certainly will be a continuity candidate. I have some doubts on Jaume Ferrer of whom I know that he also has some plans to present himself, but I think there will in the end be one unique board candidacy, probably lead by Alfons Godall. Then there's the candidacy of Sandro Rosell, there's mine. I don't really know if there will be others.It's not clear what the group who left with Ferran Soriano in 2008 will do. I know that there are people who are very motivated to present their own project, so I think there might be another candidacy although probably not lead by Soriano but by another director who resigned together with him, maybe Albert Vicens.Sandro Rosell? Sandro is a great Barça fan. What I don't like about him is that he also had the chance to contribute to the historical change of the club (read more in the second part of this series) but that he then decided to leave.
Xavier Sala i Martín? A good economist, recognized all over the world, who has recently decided to start talking about football. Alfons Godall? A good person, a great Barça fan, who is very - I would even say unlimitedly - loyal to Laporta.The campaignWhen you talk with people, it seems that it's already decided, but I don't think that's the case. It will depend on the campaign, on the results this season. I have talked with over 900 club members over the past months and I think that the race is very open.
I also sense that it will be a dirty campaign. I hope I am wrong because that wouldn't be good for Barça, but I have the feeling that people are very tense. We sure plan to campaign in a positive way, explaining our own project and proposals.Personally, I don't think it's a matter of rivalry. It's very difficult to know the reasons why a club member will vote for a certain candidate so I start from the idea that there are no favourites and that the candidate who will seem the most credible one in the eyes of the voters, will win the elections.this is the first part of a four-parts serie. you will be able to read the next parts in the coming days with benedito giving his opinion, among other things, on the continuation of manager josep guardiola and sports director txiki begiristain and on the plan to remodel the camp nou. Read more:Benedito: "It won't be a matter of two candidates"Poll result: Can Benedito win the elections?Barça, a 'wonderful rarity' (by Agustí Benedito)sources:
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