New board member to be appointed this month

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Catalan lawyer Xavier-Albert Canal (picture) will almost certainly be appointed as new director of FC Barcelona at the next board meeting on Friday 26 February.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta had reportedly proposed during one of the last limited board meetings to add a new member to the board who should not be part of any candidacy and who should stay at the club until the end of the term with the main task of keeping an eye on the correctness of the whole eletoral process.

Although there would have been a consensus during the general board meeting last Friday to nominate Jaume Alonso Cuevillas, a university professor of law, the latter was at the last minute vetoed by someone within the club.

Club sources told the paper that the veto came from Barcelona ombudsman Agustí Bassols. This is confirmed by Barcelona site Pelikano that claims that the position of Bassals was caused by an earlier business dispute with Cuevillas, whose appointment is said to have been strongly supported by Laporta and director Magda Oranich.

Everything would now indicate that Xavier-Albert Canal, a former president of the Catalan rugby federation, will become the new board member. Canal joined the disciplinary commission of FC Barcelona in October of last year. Before, he had already been a member of the club's sports commission.

Read more:
The Board Movements (2003-2009)
Vice-president Joan Franquesa resigns
First female vice-president for Barcelona?

Guixa: "The trophies have hidden the instability"

This blog had an exclusive interview with Barcelona presidential candidate Jaume Guixà.


PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND You are a professor of business management at the Polytechnic University of Catalunya, an architect and a lawyer. Three jobs that seem very different. Is there a link between the three that we don't see?
Throughout my life, my intellectual interests have led me to get involved in different areas. Apart from my studies and professional activities, I am also a painter in my spare time.

REASONS TO TAKE PART IN THE ELECTIONS Why are you running for president of FC Barcelona? All observers are talking about Sandro Rosell and Alfons Godall, with Ferran Soriano and Jaume Ferrer as possible outsiders, and no one really thinks you have a chance to become the next president. You participate to make people hear another voice? Out of vanity? Out of love for the club? You expect someone from the other candidates to give you a seat in the board or in a commission?
We present our candidacy because we want to guarantee the dignity, the prestige of the club, the respect for the professional job done by the players and the coach and the protection of the club member, because the member is the true owner of the club and we want to give the club back to its owner.

As for the 'pools' that are out there, I think it is too early to know who will be the strongest candidate and the experience of past elections shows that the early predictions are unreliable. In the year 2003, Lluís Bassat started with a big advantage and with a ‘dream team’ and in the end it was Joan Laporta and his ‘Elefant Blau', who won the election starting from scratch.

I participate because I believe that during the mandate of Joan Laporta, the club has lost many things at the institutional level that need to be recovered by an institution with the fame of FC Barcelona.

I expect nothing from the other candidates. Ours is an independent candidacy and we are proving that we have ideas, a team and resources that will allow us to get to the final vote. If any good Barcelona fan shares our ideas and wants to join our project, he will be welcomes.

YOUR TEAM You have already confirmed ex-vice president Jaume Sobrequés as a member of your team. Other ex-directors of Barca will join you?
Jaume Sobrequés, Emma Gamper and Joan Segarra will be there with us and in the near future other big names linked to Barcelona will be made public.

ANTI-LAPORTISM You present yourself as the real alternative for the "laportism", as the only candidate (so far) who has not been linked with current president Joan Laporta. You also say that all board members have to leave. Why do you take this radical position? The term of Laporta has been a total failure for you, with the exception of the team's results? The problem is not just a problem of public image, of the personality of the president, but a management problem that affects all areas and the entire board?
I don't think it's a radical position, I just want to make my position clear. The board of Mister Laporta will go down in the history of the club as the most unstable one ever. Fortunately, the sporting successes have hidden all this, but it's a fact that there are only four or five directors left of those who started six years ago.

We have witnessed a little opera of resignations, of escapes, of firings and of spying that harms the prestige of the club. Moreover, the statements of Mister Laporta and his links to the world of politics have caused a division among the Barça fans. I think it's fine he wants to do politics, but then he should leave the club.

OTHER CANDIDATES You have said that you have no intention at all of making a deal with another candidate. However, if you would have to choose, to whom do you feel the closest in terms of personality and/or club model: Jaume Ferrer, Alfons Godall, Sandro Rosell or Ferran Soriano?
At this moment few details are known about the programs or proposals of the club members who have presented themselves as pre-candidates, but I do not identify with any of them.

Did you hold talks with other potential presidential candidates like Josep Maria Minguella, Jordi Majò, Jaume Llaurado or Jordi Medina to try to form a joint candidacy?
No.

SPORTS DIRECTOR Why are you so hard for Txiki Begiristain? Can't he be considered as one of the main architects of a squad that has triumphed under both Frank Rijkaard and Josep Guardiola?
I think that we have to take our hats off for the work done by Pep Guardiola, his staff and the players, and that's why I say that they have all my confidence and support, but from Guardiola up I don't want anybody to stay.

If Txiki does not satisfy you, what is the profile a sports director should have in your opinion? And who will be the new sports director if you would be elected president? Would you choose to give more powers to the coach, Josep Guardiola, and to eliminate the function of sports director?
The position of sports director is important because he is the link between, on the one hand, the squad and the coach and, on the other hand, the board, which is why I think it's difficult to do without the position.

Our technical department will be divided in three sections, one for the first team, one for the second team and a third one for the other youth categories, all of which will be headed by members of the 'Dream Team'.

COACH Do you have a B plan in case Guardiola will not accept to renew his contract if you're elected?
In principle Pep has already given his word that he will renew and for us, the word of Pep is more than enough, so we count on him for next season.

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

Read more:
More about Guixa
Three 'Dream Team' players in candidacy Guixa
Guixa: "The financial situation worries me"

Weekly Round-Up (10): Fasten your seatbelts

Every week an overview of the posts from this blog is published on Barcelona news site totalBarca.


The election for Barcelona president has an official date: Sunday, 13 June 2010.

This was announced by the club following a special meeting of its board of directors and after earlier statements by Barcelona president Joan Laporta expressing his preference for elections to be held at the end of the season.

Laporta explained that the date was chosen mainly for sporting reasons and in consultation with Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola and sports director Txiki Begiristain: “In that perspective, it’s the best option. This way, the election process won’t influence the team, which is what we have been looking for. We’ve tried for the sporting interests to be affected the least possible.”

Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta also earlier said that he would prefer if elections are held at the end of the season to avoid distracting the team. Barcelona skipper Carles Puyol, on his part, assured that the players will remain focused regardless of any decision taken concerning the upcoming electoral exercise.

>>> read the complete weekly round-up here

The Pundit: Raul Llimos on affect election on team

« Some are afraid that the whole campaign will affect the team. For now, it didn't and I doubt a lot that it will. On the contrary. If on 22 May Barcelona conquers the Bernabéu, there should be no doubt that it will be the team that will affect the campaign. »

Raül Llimós,
El Mundo Deportivo

check more pundit talk

Rosell confirms that he will run for president

Former Barcelona sports vice-president Sandro Rosell (picture, on the right) has this evening at an event for young entrepreneurs in Barcelona confirmed that he will run for president of FC Barcelona in the elections that will take place on 13 June later this year.

Rosell, who didn't want to enter further questions about his candidacy, made the announcement at the start of the event, where he spoke and answered questions about his experiences as entrepreneur (read more here).

Read more:
Rosell could announce candidacy on Monday
The Rosell Project
Rosell skeptical about economic situation

picture: consell 2.0

Cruyff will support Godall

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

Ferrer: "The homegrown players are the basis"

Barcelona assets vice-president and presidential candidate Jaume Ferrer has opened an account at online question service Formspring. This blog will follow the account and keep you updated on the most interesting questions and answers published on there.


How would you explain that all pre-candidates that have come out so far have been part of the board that won in 2003? It gives the impression that a position in the board is very important when running for president.
It is true that most people who are taking part were members of the board of directors in 2003. I sincerely believe that the important thing is not where the candidates come from, but to make sure that there is a wide range of candidates so that the members have many options to choose from.

As a member of Barça, I have my doubts about who to vote for. My suggestion is not to continue with Txiki as sports director and this will be one of the key points when deciding my vote.
Our plan is to strengthen the sports model that has led us to win six cups while playing excellent football. We believe that the club's technical department and the staff of team have demonstrated that they are a guarantee to keep on being successful, so at this moment we would like to continue with the current technical staff.

Some people think that the fact that there are two candidates from the board of directors is a strategy organized by the board. Can you assure that you will never make a deal with Godall and that you won't step out of the electoral process before the end?
What I can assure you is that I will be the person who will lead my own project. Although we are of course open to any member who wants to join our team.

If you were elected president of Barça, and I hope it will be like that, which player would you like to sign?
We believe that now is the time to talk about projects rather than about signings. In any case, the decisions on the transfers should be taken by the sports director and the coach.

Would you strike a deal with Sandro Rosell?
I think that we are now in the process where the pre-candidates have to prepare their projects and make it known to the public.

Like all of us, you probably want that Guardiola continues, but if he doesn't who would be your first choice to coach Barça?
Last week we received the excellent news of the renewal agreement between Guardiola and the club. For us, his word carries much weight and therefore our first choice is obviously him.

Do you think that the billionaire transfers (Kaká, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic) are needed in modern football and that Barça has to adapt to this, or are you totally against it?
We believe that the basis of first team have to be players who were formed at the academy and the youth teams of Barça. The international players we bring to the club have to be top level players who add some extra quality.

Read more:
A first look at the project of Ferrer
Boix will not choose between Godall and Ferrer
Former brother-in-law Laporta reappearing on stage