Most read of the month

these were the five most read blog posts during the past month of february:


1.
Cruyff will support Godall

2.
Guixa: "The trophies have hidden the instability"

3.
This blog involved in the election campaign

4.
Benedito: "I shaped a reliable and solid model"

5.
Poll Voting Intentions: Four Months Before

Check the most read blog posts of:
October
November
December
January

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

Rexach has Facebook support he asked for

The Facebook group that was created after former Barcelona player and manager Carles Rexach had said on a television program that he will run for president of FC Barcelona if such a group would gather 5.000 members (read more here), has yesterday evening reached the required number.

The group on Facebook, that is called "Carles Rexach: Si som 5.000 em presento" [Carles Rexach: If we are with 5.000, I will run], meanwhile keeps growing and has now already more than 5.300 members. Rexach himself so far didn't react to the news.

The 63-year old Catalan, who has mainly been working as a football pundit since he left the club in 2003, was a Barcelona player from 1967 to 1981, coached the team on three occasions as caretaker and was the manager of the team during the 2001-2002 season.

Read more:
Ex-coach Rexach considers running for president
Rexach has almost enough Facebook support
Poll result: Would Rexach be good president?

The three areas and vice-presidents of Rosell

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona presidential candidate Sandro Rosell would want to restructure the club and divide it in three main areas: a sports area, an economic area and a social area.

Each area would be headed by a vice-president who would have the support of several board members (see below). The list of directors is nonetheless not yet finalized and will be enlarged in the coming weeks.

Sports area
This area would deal with everything related to the club's sports policy, including the youth academy, Barça Atlètic, the non-football sports sections and the medical department, which should become a world-wide reference.

Former Barcelona director Josep Maria Bartomeu, who left the club together with Rosell in June 2005, would become the sports vice-president. He would be assisted by Javier Bordas, Jordi Mestre and former director Jordi Monés.

Economic area
This area would include issues like marketing, assets administration and broadcasting rights.

Former Barcelona director Xavier Faus, who left the club shortly after Rosell in June 2005, would become the vice-president if he can combine this with his professional life. He would be assisted by Carlos Vilarrubí, Josep Ramón Vidal, former director Jordi Moix and Manel Arroyo.

Social area
This area would include the relations with the fans, the club members and the fan clubs, as well as the functioning of the club's foundation.

Jordi Cardoner, the grandson of former Barcelona vice-president Nicolau Casaus, would become the social vice-president. He would be assisted by Ramón Pont, Josep Maria Prat and Pilar Guinovart.

note:
all people mentioned above were already discussed in parts 3 and 4 of this blog's "the rosell project" series that was published in october of last year. to know more about the background of these people, you can read the series here.

Read more:
MotoGP businessman part of board team Rosell
The Rosell Project - Part 4: The Board (2)
Internet entrepreneur joins Rosell candidacy

Lawyer offered to lead Minguella-Medina project

Catalan television channel TV3 claims that the candidacy former Barcelona presidential candidates Josep Maria Minguella and Jordi Medina have been working on continues to look for a popular person who could lead the project (read more here).

The group of Minguella and Medina would now have offered 47-year old Catalan criminal lawyer Pau Molins (picture) to head the list, although no final decision has yet been made.

Pau Molins is at this moment widely known for his defense of Catalan businessman and former Barcelona director Fèlix Millet in a major corruption scandal (read more here). His brother, businessman and politician Joaquim Molins, has in the past reportedly also been offered to lead a candidacy, ahead of the 1997 elections.

Read more:
Minguella project preparing primaries
Former director Millet considers being candidate
Medina continues to work on candidacy

The Pundit: Joan Josep Pallas on effect on Guardiola

« It is true that Guardiola knows how to shield the squad but the question is who shields him, who is too culé not to get indignant (in private) or not to let him be influenced by the insults that some pre-candidacies are already exchanging, also those who belong to the current board of directors. And who knows what's to come. »

Joan Josep Pallàs,
El Mundo Deportivo

check more pundit talk

Former director Castells considering election role

Asked about the rumours that he could again run for president of FC Barcelona in the upcoming elections (read more here), former Barcelona vice-president Joan Castells has confirmed in an interview with Spanish television channel TVE that he is analyzing how he could take part:

"I'm sincerely thinking about it, together with other people who helped me in the Barça elections before. We are discussing if, seeing how the situation is now, we really want to do something or support someone, because we have received proposals. We sat around the table but at this moment nothing concrete has been decided.

I think we are a group of people with a lot of experience and knowledge about the world of football. We could add something, there are several options and we are looking at the issue. Talks with Rosell, Ferrer, Godall? Well, we are talking with a lot people.

We think it might be a good moment. As far as I'm concerned, because of the age I have, if I don't do it now, I will probably never do it again. Because you should also take into account that the mandates will now be for six years and who knows what will happen then.

Barcelona is a very important club in the world so you need people who have a certain knowledge about things, who know the club from inside, who know how to deal with the pressure. So we could work together, participate, help other people. Or lead an own candidacy. But nothing has been decided."

Joan Castells is the 57-year old chairman and chief executive of Spanish mutual insurance company Fiatc. In 2000, he was a pre-candidate in the elections for president of Barcelona but he ended up joining the candidacy of then vice-president Joan Gaspart.

After Gaspart won the elections, Castells was appointed as economic vice-president of the club. In December 2002, Castels resigned as first vice-president after Gaspart refused to call early elections. In the 2006 elections, Castells decided not to run and supported pre-candidate Jordi Medina.

Read more:
Former vice-president Castells considering to run
Opposition figure offered place in candidacy
Llaurado confirms that he will run