Perrin: "Laporta deserves a statue"

Barcelona institutional vice-president Albert Perrín gave an interview to Catalan sports paper El 9 Esportiu.


When you entered the board [november 2005], you said that you would leave together with Laporta. What made you change your mind?
If I don't remember it wrong, what I said was that depending on who would continue, I would leave with Jan. From my humble position, if Ferran Soriano would have continued and would have been the head of the continuity candidacy, I would not have continued.

I have nothing against him but there was no feeling between us. And these things come from both sides. He didn't have it with me either. So I said that because at that time Soriano was the one who could head the continuism. With Ferrer, however, I do have that feeling.

It has been said that Soriano could join one of the continuity candidacies.
I say this clearly. If Soriano joins the board candidacy from which I'm a part, I'll go home.

Two board candidacies would be very bad for the continuism?
It wouldn't be good. If we respect the project, and we believe the project is still under development, it would be good if there wouldn't be two candidacies. And it's clear that it will have to be one of those two candidacies who should continue the project. No one of those who left should claim these successes because they abandoned the ship. The six trophies have been won by this board.

You are one of the few directors of this board who have spoken well of Sandro Rosell.
If I start from the point that he's a person who likes the club, who wants the best for the club, I have to respect him. Making the decision to run for president of Barça is something very important.

What Joan Laporta has lived during these years has been very tough, starting with the Boixos [radical supporters] who threatened him and his sons, needing the protection of bodyguards, having problems at home... Being president is very hard, so the person who decides to become that deserves all the respect. And I think that Sandro would be a good president, yes.

Laporta deserves a triumphant exit.
Next to the statue of Kubala, they should make one of him. What he has done for this club is spectacular. You should look back at where we came from. From a bad economic situation, that is very good today. The social situation was disastrous, and today the club is loved around the world.

Unicef is an exclusive achievement of the president. There are some who aren't here anymore, who have wanted to claim it. But it's an exclusive achievement of our president. In the board there were people who had doubts about it, including myself. And now we have to congratulate him. At the sporting level, we've just won six trophies.

Should the president stay neutral in case there would be two board candidacies?
He should do what he thinks is right. And if I have something to tell him, I'll say it in private.

You think he'll actively take part in the campaign?
Passivity isn't one of his characteristics. I think that his participation will more or less depend on what is happening outside the club.

How is it to live these last days of the greatest year in the history of Barça?
Sometimes I feel like I'm on a cloud because I find it hard to believe that we won everything we have won. I tell my children not to forget that in 2009 Barça has won six titles because it difficultly will be repeated.

this is the second part of this interview. you can read the first part here. in the coming days you will be able to read the third and alst part of the interview with perrín talking - among other things - about the tears of guardiola and the future of begiristain.

Read more:
Albert Perrin appointed as new vice-president
Godall and Ferrer to meet next week
Vice-president Perrin confirms candidacy Ferrer

interview: ferran correas and dani colmena