Lawyer offered to lead Minguella-Medina project

Catalan television channel TV3 claims that the candidacy former Barcelona presidential candidates Josep Maria Minguella and Jordi Medina have been working on continues to look for a popular person who could lead the project (read more here).

The group of Minguella and Medina would now have offered 47-year old Catalan criminal lawyer Pau Molins (picture) to head the list, although no final decision has yet been made.

Pau Molins is at this moment widely known for his defense of Catalan businessman and former Barcelona director Fèlix Millet in a major corruption scandal (read more here). His brother, businessman and politician Joaquim Molins, has in the past reportedly also been offered to lead a candidacy, ahead of the 1997 elections.

Read more:
Minguella project preparing primaries
Former director Millet considers being candidate
Medina continues to work on candidacy

The Pundit: Joan Josep Pallas on effect on Guardiola

« It is true that Guardiola knows how to shield the squad but the question is who shields him, who is too culé not to get indignant (in private) or not to let him be influenced by the insults that some pre-candidacies are already exchanging, also those who belong to the current board of directors. And who knows what's to come. »

Joan Josep Pallàs,
El Mundo Deportivo

check more pundit talk

Former director Castells considering election role

Asked about the rumours that he could again run for president of FC Barcelona in the upcoming elections (read more here), former Barcelona vice-president Joan Castells has confirmed in an interview with Spanish television channel TVE that he is analyzing how he could take part:

"I'm sincerely thinking about it, together with other people who helped me in the Barça elections before. We are discussing if, seeing how the situation is now, we really want to do something or support someone, because we have received proposals. We sat around the table but at this moment nothing concrete has been decided.

I think we are a group of people with a lot of experience and knowledge about the world of football. We could add something, there are several options and we are looking at the issue. Talks with Rosell, Ferrer, Godall? Well, we are talking with a lot people.

We think it might be a good moment. As far as I'm concerned, because of the age I have, if I don't do it now, I will probably never do it again. Because you should also take into account that the mandates will now be for six years and who knows what will happen then.

Barcelona is a very important club in the world so you need people who have a certain knowledge about things, who know the club from inside, who know how to deal with the pressure. So we could work together, participate, help other people. Or lead an own candidacy. But nothing has been decided."

Joan Castells is the 57-year old chairman and chief executive of Spanish mutual insurance company Fiatc. In 2000, he was a pre-candidate in the elections for president of Barcelona but he ended up joining the candidacy of then vice-president Joan Gaspart.

After Gaspart won the elections, Castells was appointed as economic vice-president of the club. In December 2002, Castels resigned as first vice-president after Gaspart refused to call early elections. In the 2006 elections, Castells decided not to run and supported pre-candidate Jordi Medina.

Read more:
Former vice-president Castells considering to run
Opposition figure offered place in candidacy
Llaurado confirms that he will run

Oliver: "My bags are ready from day one"

Barcelona chief executive Joan Oliver gave an interview to Catalan sports paper Sport. Some excerpts.


Until when will you be at Barcelona?
Until tomorrow if that's necessary. My vision is very simple. I'm not tied to Jan Laporta.

Your time at the club will end together with the mandate of Laporta?
I have a labour contract and like everyone here that's for an undefined period. The club and I both can put an end to it in certain situations, like a change of the board.

And that means that...
I haven't considered leaving. But my bags are ready from day one. It's almost twenty years now that I'm working at high-profiled positions and that I'm dealing with controversy. I left all these jobs from one day to another. I know I'm around as long as it lasts. You can only do this job if you are ready to leave tomorrow.

You will follow Laporta in a possible move to the Catalan government?
With him? Who do you take me for? Never in my life I have thought about what I will do later. I've never thought about getting involved in politics. And now I don't see myself joining the project of Jan.

Will you stay if Soriano or Godall become president?
I don't worry about it and I'm not thinking about that. My job is exciting and when I leave I will keep on being happy. My bag is ready from day one and who doesn't want to understand this is wrong. Everything I do depends on the confidence of the president and his board. When I don't have that, I will say thanks and up to the next job.

Read more:
Chief executive obstacle for one board candidacy
Barçagate (2) - Emergency press conference
Cartoon: Oliver denies spying claims

interview: albert masnou - tomás andreu

The Catalan Cave: Sergi De Juan (El 9 Esportiu)

in this section, we ask catalan and spanish sports journalists five questions about the elections for president of fc barcelona. today: sergi de juan from catalan sports paper el 9 esportiu.


1. What will Ferran Soriano do?
I think that Ferran Soriano will run in the elections but he won't define his position until he has finished his job at Spanair and I don't think that will take long. Personally I think that he will join the continuity candidacy of Godall and that they are still negotiating. It is anyway clear to me that or he will be the number one or he will take part on his own.

2. Rosell's decision not to speak until the official calling of the elections is the right one?
Since the motion of no confidence was presented, Sandro Rosell has been working (in silence) to reach the presidency of FC Barcelona. Everything is very well calculated and prepared. I guess that if he still hasn't publicly presented his project, that is because that is what his advisors have recommended him but I think that he will do it soon because the date of the elections is now known (13 June). He also doesn't need to come out in public quickly because the club member of Barça already knows him and Sandro has been meeting during all this time with fan clubs and various club members.

3. How many candidates will there be on the ballot paper on 13 June?
I think there will be three candidacies if they all keep their word and don't make big alliances between them. The two continuity candidacies (Soriano+Godall and Jaume Ferrer) and that of Rosell. For the other pre-candidates, and those who will come out in the future, it will be very difficult to obtain the signatures.

4. Will Jaume Ferrer continue with his own candidacy?
There is speculation that he could close a deal with the group of Sandro Rosell, but he has said on more than one occasion that he intends to take part on his own. With the passage of time, we will see what he will do although at this moment he is working to run alone and he has an own campaign team.

5. Do you think it will be a tough campaign, between the candidates and/or in the media?
Unfortunately I think so. As it's clear not much will be changed regarding the sports area (they will all keep Guardiola), old personal grudges can get involved because most come from the board that won in 2003. Let's hope, for the good of the club and its image, that the candidates will talk about projects and that they don't play it dirty. It will be difficult.

THE EXTRAS As a club member of Barça, who will you vote for?
I still don't know it. First I have to know all the options and all the projects.

All your possessions are at stake. Give the top-3 of the elections on 13 June.
Right now all the polls say that Sandro Rosell goes ahead but you can never trust them completely ...

Thank you for this interview and your time. Good luck in covering the rest of the season and the elections.

read the previous episodes of this series:
francisco ávila (efe) - miquel pellicer (el mundo deportivo) - edu polo (ona fm) - abraham clotet (sport) - victor lozano (onda cero)

Weekly Round-Up (14): The Waiting Game

Every week an overview of the posts from this blog is published on Barcelona news site totalBarca.


New candidates are reportedly getting ready to enter the race for Barcelona president although the claims are somewhat unclear on whether these would be part of or separate from the various projects that have been reported in recent weeks.

Possible candidacies repeatedly mentioned include those of Catalan journalist Xavier Bosch, who again claimed that he has been offered to head a ticket, and former Barcelona player Carles Rexach, whose Facebook challenge is reportedly gathering momentum. Catalan journalist Josep Maria Minguella also recently confirmed that his group is organizing primaries and could announce a concrete candidacy soon.

>>> read the complete weekly round-up here

The Quote: Albert Perrin

"I might agree with the statement that Alfons Godall could in the end team up with Ferran Soriano. I know Godall for many years and he's someone who has difficulties to deal with the pressure."


Albert Perrín,
Barcelona institutional vice-president

read more election quotes here

All options are still open for Soriano

Asked if he will take part in the elections for president of FC Barcelona in June, former Barcelona economic vice-president Ferran Soriano has said in an interview with Catalan radio station RAC 1 that he is now thinking about what his role could be in the upcoming elections:

"I dont think this is the moment to make a lot of electoral noise. What the candidates are doing now is presenting themselves to the people, showing their face, talking a bit, but in my point of view things will really get interesting when people will explain their projects, when they will bring forward their ideas about what they want to do with Barça, the club we all love.

But so there's a lot of time left for that and I think it's better for everyone that we don't make too much noise now but that we instead have a lot of intense debates when the moment is there. But of course I respect the choice of everyone, this is just my opinion.

There's little truth in the rumours that link me to the candidacy of Alfons Godall. I know Alfons Godall because I have been many years at Barça together with him. To me, he seems an intelligent, honest and capable man. Just like I know Jaume Ferrer, who has also been there for quite a while. I'm talking with them, but there won't be anything concrete before everything starts.

Running for president, being part of a candidacy or staying at home and not taking part in an active way? All options are open for me at this moment. My focus on and my work for Spanair over the last month hasn't allowed me to think about other things.

Now I could do that and everything is possible. What you can expect from me is that I will take part in a constructive way, in favour of the club. I want to help Barça because I love this club a lot, like all of us. And fratricidal wars in the end don't help a lot.

I can clearly say that it's false that I would have signed a document that I could not take up a task at FC Barcelona while being the chairman of Spanair. It wouldn't make sense since my position at Spanair is compatible with other positions. And there are many examples of that.

Traditionally, the president of Barça or of Madrid is someone who also does something else to earn money. Like I said, there are many examples. Nothing happened to the company of Josep Lluís Núñez while he was president of Barça, noting happened to ACS because Mister Pérez is currently the president of Real Madrid, and so on.

Let's not forget that the president, the vice-presidents and the other directors of Barça don't get paid, so you need something besides that. As a consecuence, I could combine the post of president of Barça with that of chairman of Spanair. Nobody at Spanair has said me that I couldn't do that, and that wouldn't be reasonable either.

How is my current relationship with Barcelona president Joan Laporta? Correct. And with Sandro Rosell? I haven't seen or talked with Sandro for years now. In fact, there's a big difference between the two cases. I have worked toghether with Laporta for five years and Sandro has only been there for a very short period."

Read more:
Soriano could lead united board candidacy
What will the original 2003 board members do?
Soriano repeats wish to play role in elections

Ferrer has biggest media impact

A study by the Economics, Sport and Intangibles Research Group of the University of Navarra in Spain shows that Barcelona assets vice-president Jaume Ferrer is the presidential candidate who so far has got the most attention of the media.

As far as the period April 2009-February 2010 is concerned, Ferrer has received 25% of the media attention. Former sports vice-president Sandro Rosell and current first vice-president Alfons Godall are second and third in the ranking, with respectively 23,5% and 22,6%.

Barcelona treasurer Xavier Sala i Martín (9,8%), former economic vice-president Ferran Soriano (8,3%) and presidential candidates Jaume Guixà (6,6%) and Agustí Benedito (4,1%) are the other people who were included in the study. It should also be noted that the media impact of Barcelona president Joan Laporta was three times as big as that of Ferrer.

The study does not only take into account the appearances of the candidates in the traditional media but also includes the mentioning on websites, blogs and so on. The research group plans to follow the Barcelona elections and to measure the media impact of the candidates during the whole campaign.

Read more:
Ferrer: "Focus on America, Asia and Africa"
Media mogul rejects election involvement
Marketing expert: "It will be an Obama-type campaign"

Election program Rosell almost ready

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Barcelona presidencial candidate Sandro Rosell has almost finished his election program after numerous contacts with Barcelona fans and fan clubs.

Ninety per cent of the project of the former Barcelona sports vice-president would at this moment be ready and more contacts with people from the entourage of the club are planned for the months of March and April.

Catalan sports paper Sport meanwhile claims that Rosell will in the coming two weeks announce where his campaign headquarters will be. The offices would be situated very close to the Camp Nou stadium, although the option of the Princesa Sofia hotel would in the end have been excluded.

Read more:
Rosell could present project year after goal Iniesta
A biography of Sandro Rosell
Rosell: "Sport is a passion and a way of living"

Poll result: 13 June is a good election date?

Do you think 13 June is a good date to hold the Barça elections?

Yes 73%
No 27%

total votes: 5222
start date poll: 29 january 2010
poll method: internet, free participation
source: sport

The Pundit: Jordi Evole on the election process

« I am still unable to understand how after the most brilliant era of the club, the dream of social peace hasn't been realized. It might have been more boring, but we wouldn't have to go through elections that only bother. »

Jordi Évole,
El Mundo Deportivo

check more pundit talk

Guixa: "Matches should be played at 3 or 5 pm"

Barcelona presidential candidate Jaume Guixà attended last week a live chat organized by Spanish online newspaper Diario Crítico.


Laporta dealt in a very good way with the radical fans, even at the risk of his own life. We must recognize that and it is to be assumed that you will keep them away from the stadium. But until recently, presidents, including those of Barça, pampered them. What do you think of this shameful support?
As Barcelona fan and president of a fan club, I think that the passion for our club, which is Barça, should be above everything and people should comply with the law, so those who are not doing that should be marginalized. People who are going go to a football game should have fun and not worry about their safety.

Is there envy - healthy or unhealthy - towards Barça in Spain? What will you do to fix it, if something can be done?
I don't think there's envy. I think that Barca is a mirror in which all clubs would want to see themselves reflected, both because of the quality of the technical staff as because of the attitude of the players.

Do you have any ideas to improve the quality of the league? The fans need to have more competition, it shouldn't just be Madrid vs Barça. And things shouldn't be dominated that much by the television channels.
I totally agree with you regarding the two questions. The Spanish league should generate the same uncertainty of the Bundesliga or the Ligue 1, where the champion is not known until the end of the season. Among other things, one problem is that many Spanish teams are in debt and unable to pay for better players, while others - like Madrid - are breaking the market with galactic signings. As for the televisions, we will have to take care of the fact that the fans should be able to come to the stadium, so the matches should be played at 3 or 5 pm, and only occasionally at 10 pm, not like now when it's just the opposite.

Do you think that you have a chance against Sandro Rosell?
I present myself as the alternative to the laportism, since all the other candidates have been linked to Laporta or the 'Elefant Blau' at some point. Starting from that, we all will have to present a project and it will be the club member who, with his vote, will decide.

What transfer policy will you follow if you will be elected as president?
As I have publicly stated, we are in full season, playing for the league and the Champions League, and to not hinder the technical staff or the players' squad, I will not comment on this issue until the end of season.

Will you de-politicize the club if you become president?
We must make a difference between the citizen Joan Laporta and the president of FC Barcelona, who has to represent all club members with their different ideologies. The club cannot and should not be politicized.

What is best thing Laporta has done? And the worst thing?
The best was his courageous decision to promote a fourth-division coach without experience to the first team. The worst are many issues, but I would highlight his constant non-compliances from the time when he led the 'Elefant Blau' platform until today.

Would you want to have friendly relations with Real Madrid or the 'gigantism' of Florentino is an obstruction to that?
Barça, which is a universal and inclusive club that is competing in the Spanish League, should represent their members and fans in a dignified manner when dealing with a sporting rival no matter who that is, Real Madrid or Espanyol.

Don't you think that the importance of football in the news reports and the huge amounts of money spent by the clubs, who in general have a lot of debts, are excessive?
I do not think the media coverage is excessive, because the role of football in today's society is very important. But I do think there's too much money spent by the clubs and I am especially sensitive and deeply concerned about the economic situation of my club, Barça. I honestly do not see it clearly. I want to know the situation in detail and to propose a solution. In the candidacy I'm heading, we are working very hard to be able to solve things.

this is the first part of the chat session. you can read the second part here.

Read more:
Guixa: "Barça can sign any player"
Three 'Dream Team' players in candidacy Guixa
Guixa gets support of Spiderman

Most read of the week

these were the three most read blog posts of the past week:


1.
The Catalan Cave: Victor Lozano (Onda Cero)

2.
Sala: "Rosell wants to sell us a product"

3.
Soriano could lead united board candidacy

In our model, the coach coaches (by Alfons Godall)

Barcelona first vice-president and presidential candidate Alfons Godall published this week an opinion piece in Catalan sports paper El 9 Esportiu.


"The coach has to coach, I cannot be everywhere, I cannot handle everything", replied Pep Guardiola on 20 January when they asked him if he would like to become the general manager of Barça. The words of Guardiola close, as I understand, an important debate about the model we want for FC Barcelona.

Let's talk about the role of the sports director and the coach, two positions of such importance and responsibility that they must be kept separated to allow the club to continue the successes of the last years. And there are many reasons that give meaning to the sincere reflection that Pep Guardiola expressed aloud.

Firstly, the immense dedication of the current coach towards the first team is incompatible with the sports planning on the medium and long term. Everyone understands that the coach, who must deal with the day-to-day issues, cannot be analyzing, for example, videos of the next opponent while at the same time watching summaries of other leagues to track down players who could be interesting for the next seasons.

Secondly, the sports director should report regularly on the football events of the club to the president, the board of directors, the delegate commission or the general assembly. The coach should be on the pitch with the players and so he cannot be at the same time at the offices to inform the leaders of the club.

The third reason is that the sports director must ensure the continuity of the sports project when things happen like the change of a coach. The club has won six cups one year after changing the coach. This was only possible because we maintained the continuity of the sports model through the sports director. The history and the experiences of other clubs show that when there is no well-defined philosophy, you move in all directions and the sporting successes don't come.

Fourthly, the sports director is the one who takes care of key tasks such as the signing of players, who manages the bonuses, the wages and the extras of the players. While the coach has to take care of the immediate result, the sports director has to worry about the two or three following seasons.

Pep Guardiola and Txiki Begiristain (and also Frank Rijkaard) have won league titles and Champions Leagues as players and as managers, and they know better than anyone how the club works. The coordination between the coach and the sports director has been the key that has led Barça to the best moments in its history. Changing this dynamics would be a clear dismantling of a model that is admired around the world.

In the upcoming elections, the Barcelona world must choose between several options and put their trust in the project they consider to be the most appropriate one. But don't let them fool you. What is at stake is not just the president, but something that is much more important: an idea about the club, a management philosophy, a sports model.

Regarding the pre-candidacy I'm leading, I've made clear my wish to keep the model that has given us so many successes. Our model will not be that of Ferguson of Manchester, but that of the Barça of the six cups. And the model of the Barça of the six cups has separated and will continue to separate the positions of the sports director and the coach. Because in the model of the Barça of the six cups, the sports director has to plan and the coach has to coach.

Read more:
Godall: "Txiki will be my sports director"
Barça, a 'wonderful rarity' (by Agustí Benedito)
Sala: "Rosell wants to sell us a product"

New board member will join for three months

Speaking at the press conference after Friday's board meeting, Barcelona chief executive Joan Oliver has said that Barcelona president Joan Laporta wants to add a new director to the board ahead of the elections in June:

"The president would want a eminent lawyer to join the board to ensure the transparency during the electoral process. This person would become a member of the board of directors for the last three months of the current mandate."

Read more:
New board member to be appointed this month
Godall and Ferrer no longer part of 'core board'
Probable new director helping Benedito campaign

The Quote: Sandro Rosell

"I don't like the fact that the club gets involved in politics. If we win the elections, that will stop within 24 hours."


Sandro Rosell,
Barcelona presidential candidate

read more election quotes here