Barcelona presidential candidate Agustí Benedito gave an interview to Spanish web portal Terra.Will you maintain the model of Cruyff?
I don't know if Cruyff started the model. But yes. Whoever the president will be, we should continue on this path. We will certainly strengthen the youth section as much as possible, with transfers that improve the quality. This will keep on staying the same as it is now.
Some people at the youth section have been there for many years, like Alexanko [youth director]. Will you replace Alexanko, or someone else?
If we win, Alexanko will not stay. He will not be in charge of the youth section.
Even if Pep would ask you that he continues?
We would talk with Pep and we would come to an agreement with Pep, I am convinced that I can convince him.
And what of about the sports directors of the other sports sections?
Regarding the basketball section, I'm an ardent supporter of their management and we must strengthen the model and the work that has been done. Creus [sports director] and Pascual [coach] are doing an excellent job. The other three sections are also doing a good job, but without getting to the level of excellence of the basketball section.
Will the club continue to finance those sections with the money of the football team?
Our policy is to give autonomy to the sections, both regarding sporting and economic decisions. But the level of the competitions makes it necessary for the club to give money so that we can be competitive because our competitors have aides we don't have. I am aware they are of strategic value to the club. We also need to care more about the non-professional sections.
It's easy to criticize Laporta, but can you give us three virtues of Laporta and one weakness of yourself.
To have led and implemented the bases for a necessary change. As far as the results of the first team are concerned, he is the best president ever. Although I'm critical about him using his position for political use, at the start he opted for a catalan identity that was right for the club. The problem is the change from the natural Catalan character of Barça to personal use. You cannot do this. My weakness... More than one. It depends on the candidate to whom you compare me. But it's a fact that I have a lack of fame.
Your project has no weakness?
I have no doubt that it's by far the best. Certainly compared with the continuity candidates. From what I know of that of Rosell, I am sure that it is also a lot better than his.
Give me a strong point of the other candidates and, if you know their plans, also one of their projects.
If Godall ends up being a candidate, there will be club members who will value that he has been part of the board that has had the best results in history. I think Ferrer is a good person and you can see that, he transmits it. The fact that Rosell left so early is his main problem, that he abandoned the club that easily hurt his image.
this was the third and last part of this interview.
Read the previous parts:
Benedito: "Stadium shouldn't be visible from the moon"
Benedito: "Barça should transmit values"
Posts
If Benedito thinks he can replace everybody around Guardiola then "come to an agreement with Pep", "convince him", then he should start looking for a new first team coach as well.
ReplyDeleteI can understand when some candidates doesn't want Txiki to continue, but Alexanko?
ReplyDeleteExcept the season with that relegation, I thought our youth academy is doing great these past few years, constantly producing young talents and all.
What's wrong with Alexanko? Or am I missing something here...
@chris809:
ReplyDeletei also think that might be one of the weak points of benedito's program in the sports area, especially knowing that guardiola is a man with clear ideas who won't allow something to be imposed against his will.
it would be better to go to those negotiations with an open mind and not with vetos (no txiki, no alexanko, another structure), because this could sound like "take it or leave it"...
@barcik:
ReplyDeleteyou will always have the tendency when new people come in, that they will want to bring in "their" people, both in the sports area as in the other executives areas (economy, marketing, etc).
they want to put their "stamp" on the club, they want loyal people, if something goes well, they want to be able to say that's because of the people who they appointed, and so on.
it goes with the elections. guess the negative thing is you can lose a lot of experience and there's a temptation to change things even if everything is going fine. a positive thing could be that new blood and new ideas come in.
Sometimes I have a feeling while reading what the pre-candidates said that everybody thinks it's enough to say "I will only sign whom Guardiola wants" and he will stay no matter what.
ReplyDeleteIf the new president wants to negotiate with Guardiola while he already decided many important things then the negotiations won't have a happy ending.
It is not Guardiola's right to choose the Sport's Director or the Youth Director. It is the elected President's choice. Only player transfers would come within Pep's realm.
ReplyDeleteAll of them are paying heed to Pep's current popularity by being deferential to powers he doesn't possess.
This question of personal afiliation which is prevalent in all politics seems to take on a more signicficant role in Barcelona due to its class structure and aspirations to autonomy.
But it's also Guardiola's right to say: "If you want to force me to work on a daily basis with people I don't trust, or don't know enough, I'm leaving."
ReplyDeletewhy would he want to remove the youth director?
ReplyDeletewe are reaping the fruits.
he doesn't need to look far, just look at our
current team. look at the amount of youth players that broke through. and the amounts of talents coming through. this is what makes us so unique!
see, this kind of people who loves to change things will bring us back to the dark era!