In his book "Un somni per als meus fills" (A dream for my sons), that was published this week, Barcelona president Joan Laporta explains how presidential candidate Sandro Rosell - then sports vice-president - tried to convince him in the spring of 2004 to sell Barcelona player Ronaldinho:"On 25 April 2004, the day we played against Madrid at the Bernabéu, he told me that Chelsea offered 100 millions for Ronaldinho. I told him to put it out of his head, that Ronnie was not for sale, that I didn't want to talk about the issue anymore, but he added: 'Jan, they give us a commission fee of 10%'.
A few weeks later, in May, Sandro mentioned the offer of Chelsea again. He insisted and said we could close it right there if me and him reached an agreement. I again reminded him that I didn't want to talk about it and that Ronaldinho wouldn't move from Barça.
Then he brought it up another time that if we accepted, they would give us 10 million euros which we could share between us. That attitude profoundly disappointed me."
Rosell yesterday made an official statement denying the story and saying that he could take the matter to court: "The report of the events in the book constitutes, because of its complete and absolute falseness, a serious attack on my honour and that is why I keep the option open to take the appropriate legal actions.
However, because of the respect I have for the presidency of FC Barcelona and since the defense of my honour is secondary to the interests of the club, I would only start those mentioned legal proceedings once the sports season and the electoral process have come to an end."
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in his book, laporta also says - among many other things - that rosell tried to block the transfer of eto'o (because he was afraid of the reaction of real madrid president florentino perez and because eto'o is sponsored by puma and not by nike) and that soriano and the directors supporting him betrayed him (by trying to make soriano and afterwards albert vicens president).
ReplyDeletelaporta you are a m.f liar
ReplyDeleterosell will be the president
you cant stop him
even before rosell resigned in 2005 , laporta told him that we can manage the club together just you & me
its Laporta's democracy
i think we can't say who's right or wrong because we weren't actually there, but the (also unconfirmed) quote about "governing the club, you and me" wouldn't come from laporta, but from rosell (as laporta explained in a previous book).
ReplyDeleteim a bit 50-50 on this one.
ReplyDeleteronnie is a nike player and rosell seems obsessed with nike players.
but rosell is also impatient, he wanted to sack rijkaard after the slow start of 2003.
so 50-50 on this one.
tsk tsk the dirty laundry is coming out now... i think these kind of comments hurt both
ReplyDeleteI think this kinds of comments are free. yesterday I've heard somebody saying Rosell is aliean reptilian.
ReplyDeleteLaporta should have waited till the end of the season when his presidency ended to released the book. No need to try to hinder the elections when they are basically over before they started.
ReplyDeleteRosell wrote also a book about his time at Barca and crite Laporta. Now it is Laportas time to crite Rosell.
ReplyDelete/Palle
i think laporta lies cuzz presidency election is coming
ReplyDeleterosell will be the president so laporta wants to stop him but everybody knows this is politics
laporta plz leave the Barça and become the catalonia leader
an article once quoted rosell saying brazilian players dont last long because of their tendency to become undisciplined and it mentioned that he wanted to sell ronaldinho before he flickers out like all those others. i read this online a few yrs ago, idk its gossip maybe, but it kind of shows (to me at least) that this thing has come out before, and not just now bec of laporta's book.
ReplyDeleteFunny to come upon this and read it 10 years after and those who "defended Rosell".
ReplyDelete