Rexach seriously considering to run for president

Asked if he, as promised, will take part in the elections now that a Facebook group in his support has reached the required number of 5000 members (read more here), former Barcelona player and manager Carles Rexach has said in an interview with Catalan television channel Canal Català that he is considering the option:

"It started as a joke but now I'm seriously thinking about it because a lot of important people are calling me to ask what I will do. It would be like the bellboy ending up as the general director. But there's still a lot of time left to analyze the pro's and the contra's. Now could be the right moment because it seems as if everything goes well and that only a couple of things should be adjusted.

If I put a step forward, it should in any case be with a serious project. Therefore you need a team with the same qualities as the players of Barça, all aces. It's not an ego thing because I've already overcome that. The president should in the end only be at the second or third row because the exits come through the coaches and the players."

In an interview with Spanish radio station Cadena SER, Rexach said: "Now I have to consider this. Although I like joking, I'm a serious guy and to take a decision like this one you need to analyze things because Barça is a very serious institution.

People like me can now consider running. Thirty years ago you needed a certain reputation, which I don't have, but the world has moved on and now everyone can take part if they fulfil the conditions set out by the statutes of the club. I admit I am surprised by how people react to this. When I'm going somewhere now, everybody calls me 'president'.

What I do know is that I wouldn't get involved in politics. For me, sports and politics should be separated because there's already enough politics in the world of sports. Alliances? I could reach an agreement with anyone because I have a good relationship with everyone, although I have the most contact with Sandro Rosell."

Read more:
Rexach has Facebook support he asked for
Llaurado admits talks with Minguella and Rexach
Poll result: Would Rexach be good president?

Ferrer doing photo session

On Tuesday, Barcelona assets vice-president and presidential candidate Jaume Ferrer had a photo session ahead of the elections in June.

The Quote: Emma Gamper

"What I like most about football is the international dimension, to be able to see the shirt of Barcelona all around the world. I want a Barça without borders, without labels, because in the world of sports there shouldn't be limits. Sport should unite people under a same flag, that of respect and collaboration to reach an objective."


Emma Gamper,
member of the candidacy of Jaume Guixà

read more election quotes here

Minguella-Medina project still looking for a leader

Although all media sources agree that Catalan lawyer Pau Molins [picture] has been offered to head the candidacy that is being set up by former Barcelona presidential candidates Josep Maria Minguella and Jordi Medina (read more here), there is uncertainty about his reaction to the proposal.

Spanish news agency Europa Press claims that sources close to Molins confirmed that the lawyer, who feels "very related to the club", is thinking about the offer and that he wants to take the time necessary to make the decision, which could be more than one week.

Catalan newspaper El Periódico claims that Molins, who would be very interested in the proposal, will decide in one or two weeks time. The offer would have been made to him last week during a meeting with Minguella and a group of club members.

Catalan news site E-notícies claims that Minguella, Medina and Molins had a dinner on Thursday 19 February. The answer would be expected for next week. If Molins accepts the offer, Minguella would become the sports vice-president of the list and Medina the social vice-president.

A source close to the Minguella-Medina project confirmed yesterday evening to this blog that there has indeed been an offer but that Molins didn't yet give a final answer. We were also told that, contrary to previous news reports (read more here), Catalan businessman Jordi Roche, the former president of the Catalan football federation, would not be part of this project.

Spanish news agency EFE claims that it looks like the deal with Molins won't go through - despite a source of the project being quoted as saying that the lawyer would be "a very valid" candidate - because Molins wouldn't be able to combine the campaign with his job. His defense of Catalan business man Fèlix Millet in a major corruption scandal (read more here) could also play a role: "That wouldn't be positive publicity in case he would be our candidate."

The group would now keep on working to find a candidate and announce a name in the next two to three weeks, with the source explaining: "The offer to Molins doesn't mean that we already have a clear idea, because we still have to assess a lot of things, not only about the candidate but also about the rest of the team.

I want to make clear that we are not selling the leadership of our group by auction. We are just talking with a lot of people and, for whatever reason, the names of two [the other being that of catalan journalist xavier bosch] of the many members we have considered have been leaked to the public."

Catalan sports paper El 9 Esportiu claims that Molins already rejected the offer to lead the candidacy because of professional reasons – the Millet case and the opening of a new office in Madrid - but that he did accept to be part of the list. The group would continue to search for a prestigious consensus figure to become the candidate.

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Molins has already rejected the offer and that Medina and Minguella continue to look for a candidate that has never before been directly involved in an election process, although it's not excluded that one of the two would in the end be the candidate. The final list should be ready in April.

Medina is quoted by the paper as saying: "We want to assemble a project that could be a third way between laportas and anti-laportistas and that unites the Barcelona fans. That's why the choice of the candidate isn't a fight and won't turn into an auction. We're not in a hurry, there's a lot of pre-campaign and campaign left and we don't want to take part in the battles."

Read more:
Lawyer offered to lead Minguella-Medina project
Catalan journalist rejects offer to run for president
Medina will again take part in the elections

Zubizarreta is an option to replace Begiristain

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that former Barcelona goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta could become the new sports director of FC Barcelona this summer. At least three presidential candidates would see Zubizarreta as an option to replace current sports director Txiki Begiristain.

Begiristain would have decided to leave the club at the end of June and would publicly announce that decision in April, although current Barcelona vice-president and candidates Alfons Godall and Jaume Ferrer would still be hoping to convince him to stay. Godall would want Begiristain to continue for one more year to support the change of presidents.

Presidential candidates Jaume Guixà and Agustí Benedito have already said in an interviews that they don't wish to continue with Begiristain and the same is believed to be the case with former Barcelona sports vice-president Sandro Rosell.

The latter would have planned to offer Guardiola a role as general manager but would now have to change these plans because Guardiola has said he prefers to continue as coach. Therefore basically all candidates would at this moment be looking for a new sports director.

Andoni Zubizarreta was a Barcelona player from 1986, when he arrived from Athletic Bilbao, until 1994, when he left for Valencia. With Barcelona, the 48-year old won four consecutive Spanish leagues from 1991 to 1994, two Spanish cups in 1988 and 1990, two Spanish supercups in 1991 and 1992, one Champions league 1992, one Cup winner's cup in 1989 and one European supercup in 1992.

Since his retirement as an active player, Zubizarreta, who reportedly has a close relationship with Guardiola, has been acting as radio and television pundit. From 2001 to 2004, he was the sports director of Athletic Bilbao.

Zubizarreta was also, together with - among others - Real Madrid general director Jorge Valdano, one of the founders of makeateam, a company that focuses on human resources training and consulting, of which he is currently still the vice-president.

Read more:
Txiki will leave at the end of season
Poll result: Should the sports director disappear?
Godall: "Txiki will be my sports director"

Guixa: "Barça is a feeling"

Barcelona presidential candidate Jaume Guixà attended last week a live chat organized by Spanish online newspaper Diario Crítico.


Why would a man with a career and a good position want to become the president of a football club, out of vanity?
Because I am the president of a Barcelona fan club, in my town, Sant Cugat del Vallès, and I want to give Barça back to its rightful owners, the 173.800 club members.

What do you think about the management of Laporta? You recognize that in the sports area he has been flawless?
He has been flawless in the sports area, thanks to the fact that Pep Guardiola, together with his staff, has been able to isolate the players from a politicized institutional position which is contrary to what his voters in 2003 wanted.

Why should I vote for you?
Our candidacy is the only one that doesn't come from the laportism. We offer a new and renewed option.

Are you prepared to become president?
I'm ready and I have a great team of people in my candidacy to deal with situations of risk that undoubtedly will come. I can count on Emma Gamper, Joan Segarra, Mercè Morales and Jaume Sobrequés and I will soon present other specialized professionals in different sectors who will be an added value.

How do you look at the world of football, the wages aren't too high, and even more so in the current times of crisis?
We will have to analyze the costs, although it is a situation marked by the law of supply and demand.

Will you announce a star signing to attract some more votes or you won't play it that way?
The important thing about the candidacy I'm heading won't be the transfers or some fax announcing them, but the overall project. Although we really like Cesc and he wants to return to Barça. On the other hand, we are convinced of the importance of strengthening the youth academy and to avoid the exit of talented youth players.

How do you want to improve the animation in the stadium, for example through a youth area? And what do you want to do with those who have always animated Barça the most, the Boixos Nois?
All groups are welcome, when they are respecting the civic norms that are in place in a football stadium.

What do you think about the reclassification of the Miniestadi?
As I have already said publicly, I am totally opposed to the disappearance of the Miniestadi, as this should be the place where our youth players can gain experience before making the step to the first team.

Will you continue with the Foster project?
The Foster project doesn't make sense because the stadium is already considered to be a five stars facility. Yes to the modernization of the stadium (toilets, accessibility, stands, etc.), but no to the light pollution that would be caused by a project like that of Foster.

Do you think that Barça is more than a club?
Without any doubt it is, in several areas: sports, socially, artistically, regarding the fan clubs. Barça is a feeling.

this is the second and last part of the chat session. you can read the first part here.

Read more:
Guixa: "Barça can sign any player"
Three 'Dream Team' players in candidacy Guixa
Guixa gets support of Spiderman

Ribery rejects approach Rosell

Madrid sports tabloid As claims that Barcelona presidential candidate Sandro Rosell has been trying to close a deal with Bayern Munich attacker Franck Ribéry (26) but the player would not be interested in a move to Barcelona (read more here).

Rosell would like Ribéry to be one of the new faces of his project if he's elected as president in June but despite several calls to Bayern Munich and attempts to convice the Frenchman, Ribéry would reportedly only want to join Real Madrid in the summer.

Read more:
Candidate has deal with Ribery
Transfer battle between board and Rosell
Polls lead to Cesc transfer rumours