MotoGP businessman part of board team Rosell

Jordi Cardoner, probable member of the board team of Barcelona presidential candidate, has confirmed to Catalan local biweekly newspaper El 9 Nou that Catalan businessman Manel Arroyo is part of the candidacy.

Asked about the presence of Arroyo at a meeting of Rosell with presidents and vice-president of Barcelona fans clubs in Catalonia, Cardoner said: "If Sandro Rosell wins the elections and becomes the next president, Manel Arroyo will be part of the board."

Manel Arroyo is the 49-year old managing director of Dorna Sports, an international sports management and marketing company, that is among other things the exclusive holder of all commercial and television rights of the MotoGP World Championship since 1992.

Read more:
The Rosell Project - Part 3: The Board
Team member Rosell talking about their project
Rosell wants three women in his board

Llaurado to announce candidacy at last minute

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that former Barcelona vice-president Jaume Llauradó will particpate in the presidential elections in the summer but that he will only make his candidacy public at the very last moment because he doesn't want the elections to affect the team performances.

Llauradó would be convinced that he will be able to collect the signatures of club members needed to take part in the final vote on 13 June, although the ex-director wouldn't exclude the option of joining another candidate and become that way a member of the future board.

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Llauradó will certainly actively take part in the campaign but that he will only make a decision on his exact role - as part of a candidacy or as observer at the the sideline - when the elections are officially called some 40 days before the day of the vote.

The 65-year old Catalan businessman would nevertheless already been negotiating with Catalan advertising agent Fernando Martorell, the former president of Espanyol Barcelona, to take charge of his campaign if he would in the end decide to run for president.

Jaume Llauradó was a pre-candidate in the elections of 1997 and 2000, when he ended up joining the candidacy of the later president Joan Gaspart, in whose board Llauradó was a vice-president from 2000 until he resigned after one year because he didn't agree with the way the club was governed.

In 2003, he was a presidential candidate but finished 6th and last in the elections won by Joan Laporta. He obtained 987 votes (1,91%), which was considerably lower than the number of signatures he had been able to collect (read more here). Llauradó is also the president of FC Barcelona think tank Fòrum Samitier.

Read more:
Llaurado confirms that he will run
The Pundit: Miguel Rico on chances Guixa and Llaurado
Llaurado admits talks with Minguella and Rexach

Ferrer: "My project is totally innovative"

Barcelona assets vice-president and presidential candidate Jaume Ferrer has opened an account at online question service Formspring. This blog will follow the account and keep you updated on the questions and answers published on there.


As a club member without a season-ticket, I want the next board to give a 50% reduction on the price of the tickets offered to members without season-ticket instead of the current 20%, which is not enough.
We agree that we should give more facilities to the member that has no season-ticket so he can come and watch the games at the stadium. The reductions will be bigger.

Would you support the creation of an 'animation stand' at the Camp Nou, like there was the "Youth Stand" in the nineties?
Of course. We want to stimulate the animation in the stadium and we should see what is the best way to do it. We will soon present new proposals to encourage this.

Do you think the club can gain 1.000 millions a year as was stated by Godall?
That would represent a yearly increase of 17 or 18%, something that is possible for Barça. We could be talking about 800 or 900 millions.

Will someone like Mr Soriano or another popular figure be part of your candidacy? Couldn't Mr Borras [current director] take up the role of Mr Casaus [former vice-president responsible for the social area], but then in a good way?
Our candidacy includes people of the board of directors, who believe in the current sports and economic model and want to strengthen that, but we will add new people because this will certainly enrich our program. We want people who believe in our project and Mr Borras is one of them.

Do you think it is ethical to continue as vice-president given that you have already announced your intention to take part in the elections?
All opinions are respectable and I understand your point of view, but the statutes of the club clearly indicate the day we should resign.

Do you exclude a deal with Sandro Rosell?
I can assure that I will get to the end alone. Despite my good relationships with Sandro Rosell, as well as with Alfonso Godall, my project is totally innovative.

You think that Laporta has been a good president for Barça?
Joan Laporta will go down in history as one of the best presidents, as happened with Miró-Sans, Núñez or others.

Why did you stay on after you were spied upon?
Continuing at the club was an act of responsibility. Otherwise it would not have been possible to give continuity to the model that led us to win everything.

Read more:
Ferrer: "The homegrown players are the basis"
Ferrer: "Efficiency, discretion and renewal"

Godall invites fans to watch game together

Barcelona first vice-president Alfons Godall and his campaign team have invited Barcelona fans through social networking website Facebook to watch the first game of the Champions League 1/8 finals against Stuttgart together with the presidential candidate. The initiative, that wants to bring the fans closer to the candidate, is called "Grada 2.6" [Stands 2.6].

75 fans will be chosen from the requests Godall will receive at a mail address and will be able to watch the Stuttgart-Barcelona game on Tuesday evening at the campaign headquarters of Godall in the centre of Barcelona together with the vice-president, Barcelona treasurer Xavier Sala i Martín and other members of the candidacy.

Read more:
Godall: "I'm giving up my private life"
Godall chosing campaign songs
Sala: "Presidential transfers are against our model"

The Pundit: Alex Santos on Jaume Guixà

« Guixà is the kind of candidate whom people, and especially the press, do not like and who annoyes a lot, because they need to spend time and energy on a figure who is believed not to deserve that. »

Alex Santos,
blog

check more pundit talk

Spanish fan clubs not positive about board

Catalan sports weekly paper Gol held a poll among the non-Catalan Spanish fan clubs ahead of the elections in June. A questionnaire with eight questions was sent by mail to fifty Barcelona fan clubs from outside Catalonia, spread over the rest of the territory of the Spanish state, that were picked at random. Below you find the results.

Do you think the date of the elections, 13 June, is right?
No 92%
Yes 8%

Rate the players, Txiki, Guardiola and the board of directors from 1 to 10.
Pep Guardiola 9,3
Players 8,1
Begiristain 5,7
Board of directors 4,1

If Laporta could continue, would you vote for him?
No 78%
Yes 22%

Who do you think has, at this moment, the most chances to win the elections?
Sandro Rosell 50%
Ferran Soriano 26%
Alfons Godall 14%
Jaume Ferrer 6%
Others 4%

What should be the most important thing for the new president of Barça?
To keep Guardiola and the squad 66%
To continue winning 22%
To distance oneself from politics 9%
Others 3%

How do you value the presidency of Laporta?
Very good 6%
Good 12%
Regular 35%
Bad 41%
Very bad 6%

What do you think about the treatment of the fan clubs from outside Catalonia by the current board?
Positive 24%
Normal 41%
Negative 35%

What do you think about the politization of the club by the board of directors?
Very good 1%
Good 3%
Normal 20%
Bad 44%
Very bad 32%

Read more:
Eighty percent of the voters still undecided
Poll Voting Intentions: Four Months Before
Polls lead to Cesc transfer rumours

Godall and Ferrer no longer part of 'core board'

Catalan newspaper El Periódico claims that Barcelona president Joan Laporta has excluded Barcelona vice-presidents Alfons Godall, Jaume Ferrer and, possibly, Albert Perrín, from taking part in the meetings of the Delegate Commission, the club organ that meets almost weekly and takes the majority of the key decisions.

Since the election date was announced at the end of January, the Delegate Commission hadn't been organized because of the tensions inside the club ahead of the elections. Laporta has now reportedly decided that, starting today, the meetings will again take place but that the number of people allowed to assist the meetings will be reduced.

Spanish news agency EFE confirms that Godall, Ferrer and Perrín are no longer part of the Delegate Commission. Club sources explained that Laporta has taken the decision to avoid possible misunderstandings as a result of the fact that the two presidential candidates would keep on playing an active role in the highest executive body of the club.

EFE claims that the decision has caused some unrest in the board, especially amongst the directors close to presidential candidate Ferrer, with one of the affected people telling the agency: "The measure is only taken because Laporta no longer wants to have Ferrer by his side and that is why he has decided to throw him out of the meeting.

He has put Godall in the same 'pack' to give an sense of logic to the decision, but it's just an electoral move to try to limit the possibilities of Ferrer and to benefit Godall. This is just another inconsistency of Laporta. Why don't they just throw us out of the board? This maneuver doesn't make sense apart from the intention of Laporta to eliminate Ferrer."

The Delegate Commission would from now on consist of six people: president Joan Laporta, economic vice-president Joan Boix, sports vice-president Rafael Yuste, treasurer Xavier Sala i Martín, board secretary Josep Cubells and chief executive Joan Oliver.


Article 34 of the statutes of FC Barcelona deals with the Delegate Commission and reads as follows: "Within the Board of Directors, a Delegate Commission may be constituted containing a maximum of two thirds of the members of the Board of Directors, which will be made up of members designated by the President and which must necessarily include the President, a Vice President, the Secretary and the Treasurer.

The Delegate Commission will meet at the behest of the President as many times as necessary and will have the following functions:

a) To study and prepare the items that are to be subjected to the Board of Directors.
b) To provisionally adopt any decision that is the competence of the Board of Directors, when for reasons of urgency it is not possible to wait until the next meeting to be called, under the obligation that the Board will be informed of this at the immediately following session and its ratification will be obtained.
c) To make decisions regarding any matters that have been expressly delegated to it by the board of Directors and to inform about these at the next meeting of the same."

Read more:
Ferrer: "Sala started the division in the board"
Godall: "We believe in the North-American market"
Former vice-president Franquesa to support Ferrer

Elections could be called earlier

Barcelona blogger Sisco Pinyol reports on his blog that Barcelona assets vice-president Jaume Ferrer has said on a meeting with representatives of Barcelona fan clubs on Wedneday that the elections for president of FC Barcelona could be called earlier because of a judicial decision that same day.

After the elections in 2006, the Barcelona board didn't put down a bank guarantee because they considered themselves to be a continuity board and because they had made profits since they took power in 2003.

On Wednesday, a court in Barcelona nevertheless ruled that the losses made in the last eight days of the 2002-2003 season after Laporta became president should be taken into account, something that previously didn't happen.

This now means that in the end the board didn't met the conditions necessary to not put down the guarantee after the 2006 elections and that the eight directors who were part of the 2006 board and are still in office – Joan Laporta, Alfons Godall, Jaume Ferrer, Albert Perrín, Rafael Yuste, Joan Boix, Alfonso Castro and Josep Cubells – would still have to pay the 2006 guarantee.

The club has announced in an official statement on Wednesday that they will take the case to the Suprme Court but Catalan sports paper Sport claims that this doesn't stop the enforcement of the Wednesday decision if the complainant asks for the immediate payment. In interviews with the paper, both the complainant, Barcelona club member Vicenç Pla, and his lawyer have said they plan to do this.

Catalan news site E-notícies claims that each of the board members would be responsible for 3 million euros. Ferrer said during the meeting on Wednesday with fan clubs' representatives that some directors wouldn't want to pay their part which could lead to the elections being organized earlier than 13 June.

Read more:
Elections will be held on Sunday 13 June
Marketing expert: "It will be an Obama-type campaign"
How many people will be able to vote?

Poll result: Will Soriano take over Godall candidacy?

Will Godall hand over the number one position of his candidacy to Soriano?

Yes 53,68%
No 46,32%

total votes: 95
start date poll: 10 february 2010
poll method: internet, free participation
source: e-notícies

check more election poll results here

The Quote: Sandro Rosell

"I remember that, when I was a kid, every Sunday we had dinner at my grandmother's house. In the morning, I accompanied her to the mass, and in the afternoon, in those good old days when the games always began at five on Sunday, I left for the Barça stadium with my grandfather, my father and my uncle."


Sandro Rosell,
Barcelona presidential candidate

read more election quotes here

Benedito starts second phase of campaign

With a meeting with members of his campaign team at the Park Hotel in Barcelona yesterday evening at 7 pm, Barcelona presidential candidate Agustí Benedito has started the second phase of his campaign ahead of the elections that will be held later this year.

Benedito can count on a team of more than 200 people, 150 of which were present at yesterday's gathering where the strategy and some guidelines for the coming months were explained to the volunteers. Before the closed meeting, Benedito told the press that he is confident:

"We have a large campaign team of 214 people. This evening we will give the starting shot. Today we will coordinate the work and we will start the second stage: 'Straight to the 13th of June'. I am very optimistic because of the support we have received. Our people are our strength."

Read more:
Benedito: "We want to repeat the historical results"
Eighty percent of the voters still undecided
Benedito signs ex-campaign director Laporta

Soriano says current job compatible with presidency

Asked about his role in the upcoming presidential elections, former Barcelona economic vice-president Ferran Soriano didn't speak out on the issue at an economic conference in Barcelona, although he didn't exclude the possibility of taking part suggesting that he could combine his current job with that of Barcelona president:

"It's not yet the moment to take a position. What I can say is that being the chairman of Spanair is a job that can be combined with other tasks. I'm a non-executive chairman and we have a chief executive with 25 years of experience in the aviation sector.

Spanair is currently living revolutionary times and I'm totally dedicated to the company. I have a long-term commitment with Spanair. But in theory and in practice I can take up other jobs. The president of Barça has traditionally always done something else so that should not be a point of discussion."

Read more:
Soriano to run for president
The Pundit: Dagoberto Escorcia on Rosell-Soriano duel
Godall rejects Soriano leading board candidacy

The Catalan Cave: Edu Polo (Ona FM)

in this section, we ask catalan and spanish sports journalists five questions about the elections for president of fc barcelona. today: edu polo from catalan radio station ona fm.


1. Is it possible that Ferran Soriano joins the candidacy of Alfons Godall as number two?
Yes, it is possible, either as number two or even as number one. It's still a long way to 13 June and past elections have learnt us that a lot of deals can be closed until a few days before the vote. Soriano will have a decisive role in the elections, but it's not yet clear if he will be the number one or the star number two of the Godall candidacy. I think that we will soon hear from Ferran Soriano, although what will be said now might not be definitive since there are more than three months left and a lot of things can still happen.

2. How can it be explained that Sandro Rosell, the candidate who until now has spoken the least, is leading the polls?
Because people are already talking for many years about Sandro Rosell as a future president of Barça. And because an important part of the media have done a lot for him. It is, of course taking into account the differences, a similar case as that of Florentino last year. He did not talk, but everybody talked about him. And that way he won easily. So far Sandro's case seems pretty similar, although Rosell will have more competition than Florentino had and in the next polls Godall will certainly have risen a lot. Sandro is the big favorite, but he should be careful. Bassat also was.

3. How many candidates will be on the ballot paper on 13 June?
I think there sure will be three. Rosell, the one that heads the Godall-Soriano candidacy and Benedito. I'm not that sure about Ferrer and Guixà.

4. Joan Laporta would be re-elected if he could again take part in the elections?
It is impossible to know and it depends on factors that are still uncertain, like for example Barça winning the Champions League at the Bernabéu. But it is clear that many club members would want to keep what is working and Laporta, although he has many detractors, has a lot of charisma. He could be. One should also take into account that the electoral roll has grown a lot and that there are thousands of club members without a season-ticket, mostly young people, who have never voted and nobody knows what members with that specific profile will do.

5. Do you think it will be a tough campaign, between the candidates and/or in the media?
Everything indicates that it will be a very dirty campaign. You only have to recall the case of the detectives or Sala i Martín attacking Rosell at the presentation of Godall to foresee a tough and dirty campaign.

THE EXTRAS As a club member of Barça, who will you vote for?
I am a member and I always vote. It does not seem right to answer, but I also first want to hear about the projects of the candidates. At this moment we hardly know anything, we only know that Godall wants to maintain the current model, but little more.

All your possessions are at stake. Give the top-3 of the elections on 13 June.
I stick to what I said about those who will arrive at the vote. 1 Rosell, 2 Godall-Soriano, 3 Benedito.

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)

The Quote: Jaume Ferrer

"In the year 2003, when we arrived at the club, on 25 June, Barça had no cash money at all, several credit lines were exhausted and the banks were asking back their money, the club had a turnover of 120 million euros and spent 200 millions, on 30 June we needed to pay the salaries of the players, taxes, social security fees, the first thing the financial institutions told us was that they didn't want to take any more risks with FC Barcelona... But we managed to turn the situation around and today we have a budget of 400 million euros and we're amongst the big European clubs."


Jaume Ferrer,
Barcelona assets vice-president

read more election quotes here

Poll: Guardiola was right to not yet sign?

Guardiola made the right decision by waiting for the next president to sign his renewal?

Yes 89,19%
No 10,81%

total votes: 111
start date poll: 21 january 2011
poll method: internet, free participation
source: e-notícies

check more election poll results here

Opposition figure offered place in candidacy

Catalan sports weekly paper Gol claims that former Barcelona assistant-director Lluís de Val (picture) has been offered to take part in the upcoming elections for president of FC Barcelona as member of a candidacy.

Lluís de Val is a 56-year old Catalan businessman from the audiovisual sector who was part of the candidacy of Joan Castells in the 2000 elections. Castells joined the candidacy of then Barcelona vice-president Joan Gaspart and was appointed as vice-president after Gaspart was elected as president.

As part of the deal between Castells and Gaspart, several people linked to Castells got a position in the club, among which Lluís de Val, who became a member of a large board of advisors and was some kind of assistant-director until he left the club together with Castells in December of 2002 (read more here).

After his exit of the club, De Val has been active in the entourage of the club, at certain moments acting as a voice of the opposition. In 2003, a few months after he left Barcelona, he tried to organize a vote of no confidence against president Joan Gaspart.

In October of 2005, he revealed that director Alejandro Echevarría, then the brother-in-law of Barcelona presidente Laporta, was a member of a foundation in honour of former Spanish dictator Franco, which led to the resignation of Echevarría (read more here).

And earlier this month of February, De Val accused the current board of having bought in 2008 a piece of land in the Catalan city of Viladecans, close to Barcelona, for a value that was far more than the market value.

Read more:
Former vice-president Castells considering to run
Llaurado confirms that he will run
Former brother-in-law Laporta reappearing on stage

Sala: "Presidential transfers are against our model"

Barcelona first vice-president Alfons Godall and Barcelona treasurer Xavier Sala i Martín gave an interview to Spanish newspaper El Mundo.


Why do you want to be the president of Barcelona?
Godall: A magnificent era in the history of Barça, with spectacular sporting, economic and social results, is about to come to an end. The mandate of Joan Laporta will end and it would be a pity that this era would stop just like that, while we see great opportunities for further progress in all areas.
Sala i Martín: In addition to the fact that everybody likes him, Alfons was always on the right side of the decisions.

And you, Mr. Sala i Martín, would you have liked to be president?
Sala i Martín: Any Barcelona supporter who is not capable of playing in the first team, as is the majority, and to score a goal in the Champions League final, would like to be president. Everybody would like that.

Would your professional life change a lot if your candidacy wins?
Godall: I studied economics, I am a modest colleague of Xavier Sala i Martín, and I devoted myself to manage family businesses that are related to real estate. Things are going well, we have been fortunate to avoid the housing crisis because we have always been very cautious. With respect to Barça, things are very clear. I know I will have to continue spending many hours to Barcelona, but also that we want to make progress in the professionalization of the club. We want to delegate the daily management of the club to a team of high-skilled executives who are the ones who will do the main job.

With a chief executive like Joan Oliver at the head?
Godall: Joan Oliver is not under discussion. He has closed the past year with profits, in a situation of a serious general crisis, without selling players or assets.
Sala i Martín: And, moreover, spending dozens and dozens of millions in bonuses because we have won everything. Despite the bonuses, the wage variables, on which we have spent more than 50 millions, and the economic crisis that affects the whole world, Barça has been profitable.

Do you think that in a time of economic crisis, the club member may be annoyed about the salary of Joan Oliver [900.000 euros including incentives]?
Sala i Martín: Does anyone know what the salary is of the chief executive of Madrid? Or the one of Manchester? In this past year, Barça has saved around six millions in expenses. And that has been done by the chief executive. Do you think that it is worth it to pay 600.000 euros to someone who reduces the costs with six millions? In addition, the salary of 900.000 euros includes all the bonuses.

What will be the political positioning of the club in case you win the presidency?
Godall: Barça and the country have a common commitment regarding the Catalan identity. Barça has to be a tool to promote, to teach and to let people around the world know about the Catalan national reality.

The mandate of Joan Laporta has been characterized by strong political activism.
Sala i Martín: But what is meant by political activism?

That there are events at the Camp Nou, like Correllengua [campaign to promote the use of the catalan language].
Sala i Martín: When the Catalan government, regardless of the political party in power, asks the club to defend the Catalan language, I don't think this is something political, but about defending something that is so linked with Catalonia as the language.
Godall: This is what we call 'forming a nation'.
Sala i Martín: Forming a nation. Having said that, being Catalan and Catalan nationalist means being open and universal. Half the population of Catalonia today, doesn't come from Catalonia. Including myself, for example. My name is Martín because my grandfather was from Salamanca. Being a Catalan and being a Catalan nationalist does not mean excluding the others. In this sense, we are very comfortable about the idea of continuing being Catalans. We will not give it up and as we will not ask anyone to change his way of being or to be ashamed of his origins, we are not going to apologize for being Catalans. Now, if the deeper question is whether you will see Alfons or myself at a political demonstration, the answer is no. Although Laporta has every right to have his political beliefs and to express them as he wishes.

Do you think the political parties can be bothered by the fact that Laporta plans to take part in the political game?
Godall: More than bothered, I think they are worried about it.

Regarding the sporting aspect and looking at the football team, do you think that talking about possible signings will be less important in this campaign than before?
Sala i Martín: We won't pull rabbits out of our hat, no great players or anything like that. That is incompatible with our model. Who is to say which players will be signed is the coaching staff. If a president arrives at the club saying 'I will sign this or that player', it means he has not understood anything. In this model, the president does not sign who he wants.

this was the first part of this interview. you can read the second part here.

Read more:
Godall: "Txiki will be my sports director"
Sala: "Rosell was always on the wrong side"
Polls lead to Cesc transfer rumours