Rosell could present project year after goal Iniesta

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona presidential candidate Sandro Rosell is considering to officially present his candidacy on Thursday 6 May, one year after the goal of Andrés Iniesta against Chelsea that qualified Barcelona for the final of last season's Champions League in Rome.

Rosell, who for some events would use a renowned Barcelona hotel, is said to be deciding at this moment on where he will have his headquarters ahead of the elections later this year, on Sunday 13 June.

The former Barcelona sports vice-president can reportedly count on a campaign team of more than 400 collaborators, most of which are volunteers, who are spread over the four Catalan provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona.

Read more:
MotoGP businessman part of board team Rosell
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Guixa gets support of Spiderman

Barcelona presidential candidate Jaume Guixà,
during one of his classes at Barcelona Tech University last month.

The Quote: Xavi

"I doubt that I will ever have the same complicity with another president as I have with Laporta."


Xavi,
Barcelona player

read more election quotes here

Poll result: Should the sports director disappear?

Do you think that one and the same person should occupy the position of coach and sports director?

Separate the positions 65%
One and the same person 23%
Don't know/Don't answer 12%

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 election poll results here

Rosell: "Sport is a passion and a way of living"

Barcelona presidential candidate Sandro Rosell gave an interview to the website of the Global Sports Forum, a sports conference that will be held in Barcelona next month and in which Rosell will take part.


What does sport mean to you, in general and in your daily life?
For me, sport is a passion and a way of living and understanding life. Sport is very important in my every day life. It helps me to find the balance between my body, soul and mind.

Which sport do you play yourself?
Football of course and I like running very much.

What is your favourite team?
My favorite team is FC Barcelona, the best team in the world.

Who is your favourite sportsman?
I have a few, but if I have to choose one, I would say Michael Jordan.

What's your dearest sports memory?
I have several. The first, and the most important one for my career, were the Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992. Later there was the World Cup in Corea and Japan in 2002 and, as you can imagine, all the victories of Barça.

In a few words, how will the sports map look like in twenty years from now?
Now time is running very fast and technologies are advancing quick, so it is very difficult to know what is going to happen in a far away future. But sport will always be sport.

Read more:
Everybody knows Sandro Rosell
Could Rosell and Ferrer strike a deal?
Rosell wants to cancel sports director

Benedito: "We want to keep the spirit of 2003"

Barcelona presidential candidate Agustí Benedito gave an interview to Catalan regional newspaper Diari de Tarragona.


You were the first candidate to come out. Why?
Some media started publishing the rumour that we wanted to take part in the elections. And since we have always defended that we want to talk in a clear way, we decided to confirm this rumour. We did it on 8 October.

There are other candidates who have chosen to stay silent.
I don't look at what other pre-candidates do. Our goal is to gain visibility step by step and I think it is a strategy that is good for us.

You are closely linked to the first 'era' of Joan Laporta. In fact, you were one of the driving forces behind the former 'Elefant Blau' opposition group. Does that benefit or harm you?
It's true. I got to know Laporta in 1997 and since then we have had a close relationship. In fact, I feel very much part of the victory of Laporta in 2003 and I am very proud of my contribution to that. I think that this project, when it is updated and renewed, is still very valid and I think the club members also have that idea.

So what has changed since 2003?
There has been a moment when Laporta and his board decided to turn the situation around and to abandon the project with which they won the elections. Laporta has done some very good things, other things of that project he has not done and others he has done in a bad way. So our idea is to keep the spirit of that program.

Joan Laporta has changed a lot over the last years?
I think that he has lost control of many things. The latest example is the use of politics. He has used his position as president for personal gain. That is one of the biggest mistakes a president of Barça can make.

Six titles have been won, Barça has been hailed as one of the best teams in history and still the feeling is that people want a change. That is difficult to understand...
It's true. It sounds strange. This will surely be the first campaign at the club in which the sporting theme will not be the main focus of discussion. We are the best team in the world, but we should now make sure that the rest of the club is also at the same level of excellence of the football team.

What role does Agustí Benedito play in a war that seems to have only two key people: the continuity candidate and Sandro Rosell?
We are another alternative. When we made public our intention to take part in the elections, it was very clear to us that our project would be the best project and we keep on believing that. That's why we will continue with it.

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

Read more:
Benedito starts second phase of campaign
Benedito: "We want to repeat the historical results"
Probable new director helping Benedito campaign

Project Minguella to be announced next month

Asked about his role in the upcoming elections, former presidential candiate Josep Maria Minguella has repeated in an interview with Spanish news agency EFE that he is working on a candidacy together with a large group of Barcelona fans:

"We're working on a project and it's very possible it will lead to a concrete candidacy that could be announced in one month.

Our group of around 50 people mostly consists of liberal professionals and includes important people of the city of Barcelona. This group has been meeting for some time, but I cannot give you any names.

Our ideology will be totally different to that of most other projects. The starting point is that it's not good for Barça that the future would be decided between the 'pro-laportistas' and the 'anti-laportistas', because there are other options.

In principle I won't be the head of the candidacy. That person will be chosen by the group through primaries. Why wouldn't I lead the project myself? Well, I lived the experience already and I can tell you that the world of football is a nest of jealousy.

For many years, I dedicated myself to this job - that of player's agent - of which I am very proud. But there are people who give more credit to the belief, which is not true, that I've made money from Barça than to the fact that I have brought Maradona, Stoichkov, Romario, Rivaldo and Messi to Barça, the last one for free. But people don't value it, so what can I do..."

Josep Maria Minguella, a 68-year old former player's agent who now mainly acts as a Barcelona pundit for a number of radio and television shows, took part in the 2003 elections, when he ended fifth with 1.867 votes (3,62%). The Catalan supported the 2008 vote of no confidence against the board.

Read more:
Minguella confirms talks with Medina and Majo
Minguella: "Laporta didn't keep his promises"
Majo stepping out of Minguella-Medina project