Godall: "Laporta and I were a tandem"

Barcelona first vice-president Alfons Godall gave an interview to Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia.


Will you run for president of Barça?
In these elections a club model that has been successful and that we want to see having continuity will be in play. At this moment it's not yet clear to me if I will be the candidate, but that cannot be ruled out. It will depend on how we will interpret the electoral climate, the situation of the candidates and the opinions within the board.

The majority of the potential candidates were also part of the project of Laporta. Do they share the same model?
This board and those who have arrived at the point where we are now have always opted for a sporting model, a way of playing, of presence of the youth players, of stability in the technical department... The permanency of Txiki and the fact that there have only been two coaches have been a consequence of this view. Others have been on the board, but have left for various reasons.

Although he was there in the beginning of the project, mister Rosell did not share this model. For example, in November of the first season he already was in favour of dismissing the coach, against the general opinion of the board and the president, and later it was proven that backing the continuity of Txiki and Rijkaard was the right thing because it gave us two league titles and a Champions League.

Other fellow board members, who left after the vote of no confidence, did so for other reasons. Although they committed a mistake, Ferran Soriano and the others who left the club at that moment did share this model during a longer period.

Sandro Rosell left because this board had a model that was basically presidential.
The sporting model of Sandro Rosell is Sandro Rosell. He has a way of interpreting things in a more short-term way. I think he will propose a more personalist club model and that he won't opt for the current way of playing, for the homegrown players and for being patient at the right times.

Would, on the other hand, a deal with Soriano be possible?
That is possible, but it's still very early.

Could the board candidate, which could be you, be a puppet of a Laporta who stays out of the limelight?
History will judge Laporta as a great president. Said that, the Laporta era will end on 30 June 2010. Any future bid will provide the value of our experience, but will also include the seeds of change for the simple reason that the president will change.

What is the difference between you and Laporta?
It is true that we are friends, we share personal views, even ideological ones, and of course on Barça, but our personalities are different. I have tried to help him and to compensate some aspects of his strong character. It was a tandem that has worked, but in the future I also hope to have the luck to be able to count on a future board member or board members who will help me to do well in what will be my role in the board.

Just when the team has an unimprovable image, it appears that the board and the president are not well regarded. Will that change if you become president?
A Barça without Laporta won't have anymore some of the virtues that he has brought to the club and neither some of the excesses or possible shortcomings which, because of his personality and way of being, might have happened.

this is the first part of this interview. read the second part here. and the third part here.

Read more:
Godall: "Being president would be a dream"
Soriano meeting with Godall and Sala
Poll result: Who should be the board candidate?


interview: m.d. garcía and dagoberto escorcia