Asked about his previous participations in the elections for president of FC Barcelona (read more here), Catalan businessman and twice runner-up in the elections Lluís Bassat said last month in an interview with Spanish television channel La Sexta that he lost the 2003 elections because Laporta lied about the transfer of then Manchester United player David Beckham:"To take part in the elections has been a wonderful experience. When Barça went through a bad time, a group of friends asked me to lead a candidacy like I had led my companies. I didn't win the elections in 2000 and 2003 and I'm sure that was because I didn't want to lie about a transfer of a big player.
In a poll ten days before the last elections, Joan Laporta had 9 per cent of the votes while I had 42 per cent. And then they invented the transfer of Beckham, of which I knew it wasn't true because I knew he had already signed for Real Madrid.
A journalist and friend told me to say that I would sign Henry but I told him that I preferred to lose the elections rather than to lose my dignity. I lost the elections and I don't have any regrets about the way I have acted."
Read more:
Bassat will not run a third time
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It’s a shame he will not take a part in this election as well.
ReplyDeleteI think in his previous election campaign he was planning to put Pep as a sport director and had initial contacts with Zidane when he was still playing for Juventus. Not sure about this info, but generally speaking, he is a decent man.
in 2000 he had contacts with Zidane, in 2003 he had Pep as sporting director and they had Koeman as coach and Chivu as signing.
ReplyDeleteHe is a real good man.
Of course it's not because Pep is a great coach now, he would have been a great sporting director in 2003... The job is totally different and he was younger then, had just finished playing. And they actually had Juan Manuel Lillo as coach.
ReplyDeleteJuan Manuel Lillo was a smarter choice compared to Frank Rijkaard who was younger then and already coming out of two disastrous experiences relegating a club to the second division and making a big mess during the period he coached the national team.
ReplyDeleteZidane proved being great afterward and so as Pep who was accused when he was hired as a coach last year that he is young and barely have an experience to coach Barca athletic.
A guy with vision is rare finding. Bassat is a one, no doubt about it.
The smartest choices aren't always the best ones, Ramzi. Guardiola wasn't the smartest choice either last summer...
ReplyDeletePersonally I think Zidane wouldn't have fit in a 4-3-3 like ours. He needs a team that is totally build around him, only then he could shine. A bit like Riquelme.
The thing with Bassat, Ramzi, is that he's a little bit seen as a "loser" now. He had two good chances in 2000 and 2003, he had serious backing, the club wasn't doing well, but he just couldn't finish things.
ReplyDeleteAnd he gave up after 2003, while you need to be planning a candidacy if you want to have a chance. Although I think there would be room for a candidate from outside (meaning: someone who hasn't been at the club under Laporta), that probably won't happen.
and welcome to Ulague and trez.