Where did the candidates watch the Clasico?

Barcelona presidential candidate Sandro Rosell watched yesterday's league game against Madrid at the isle of Majorca, where he had met with Barcelona fan club members earlier that day. Barcelona vice-president Jaume Ferrer saw the game live at the stadium in Madrid.

Agustí Benedito gathered with his campaign team at the 'Bar Nat' bar in Barcelona [picture below] while Jaume Guixà saw the game together with the Barcelona fan club of which he is the president in Sant Cugat, near Barcelona.

Cartoon 35: Laporta helping Cruyff

(click the cartoon to enlarge)


by kap

source:
el mundo deportivo

check more election cartoons here

Rosell close to selling sports company

Spanish business paper Expansíon claims that Barcelona presidential candidate Sandro Rosell is finalizing the sale of his sports marketing agency Bonus Sports Marketing (BSM).

Rosell, who reportedly has explained to his friends and collaborators that a sale is imminent, would have decided to sell the company so that there can't be any insinuations on possible conflicts of interests between his personal businesses and a position as club president.

There would at this moment be three concrete proposals by international groups and a deal would be closed in the coming days. BSM has a turn-over of 5.6 million euros a year and would be sold for a price between 6.3 and 7.2 millions.

BSM, that was founded by Rosell in 2002, is specialized in sports sponsorship and strategic sports marketing consultancy and event organization. The Barcelona based agency is working for local and multinational companies like Audi, Electrolux and McDonalds.

The company's main project is Football Dreams, a football scouting program sponsored by the government of Qatar and Nike aimed at giving children from Africa, Asia and Latin America the opportunity to earn scholarships to study and train at a football academy in Qatar.

Besides BSM, Rosell is reportedly also active in several other businesses, including a few companies of his family, whose assets are estimated at 250 million euros.

Read more:
Rosell plans to quit football business
A biography of Sandro Rosell
Rosell gives first interview ahead of elections

Godall would support candidacy Sala i Martin

Barcelona first vice-president and ex-candidate in the upcoming elections Alfons Godall has said on social networking site Facebook that he would support Barcelona treasurer Xavier Sala i Martín if the latter would decide to run for president:

"If Xavier Sala would want to be a candidate in the 2010 elections, I would unconditionally give him my full support. He is qualified, he is big Barcelona fan and he has the motivation and the reason that are needed to be able to win the elections. Xavier, you already know this: if you want it, you can count on me!"

Read more:
Sala i Martin considering his position
Godall doesn't believe in Ferrer-Rosell duel
Sala doesn't exclude future candidacy

[2003] Laporta and Rosell will co-lead candidacy

source: el mundo deportivo, saturday 12 april 2003, page 14

'American' candidacy

Sandro Rosell is part of and co-leads the group of Joan Laporta

The group of young professionals that is led by Joan Laporta and Sandro Rosell is ready to present their candidacy, but will only do so when the elections are called. The plan is to organize an american-style candidacy, in which all the media intention won't be focused on the candidate. The leadership will be shared by two or more people.

This association of around twenty friends and prestigious professionals has been working for a long time to offer a real alternative, that completely 'breaks' with the past, to arrive at the presidency of FC Barcelona. The group is completely independent, they have no relationship at all with any other group. It is also an open candidacy.

The presence of Sandro Rosell, a former senior executive at Nike and now a consultant, opens some options for the group. Sandro, the son of a former general director of Barça, maintains a relationship of mutual respect with former president Núñez and of friendship with his children. That could be an advantage to try to solve the lack of sympathy the former president feels for Laporta, whom he still sees as the leader of 'Elefant Blau'.

check more 2003 election stories

Cruyff doesn't see link nomination-elections

Asked why some people link his nomination as honorary president of FC Barcelona to the upcoming elections, former barcelona player and coach Johan Cruyff has said in an interview with the club's official media that he doesn't understand the connection that is made:

"I have no idea why people link this nomination with the elections. Laporta already thought about this a couple of years ago, but then there was the whole process of changing the statutes so that a president could only serve two terms of six years.

Maybe back then, people could have thought about electoral motives because there are a lot of cynical people out there. I see no relation at all between Joan Laporta, myself and the elections because he can not take part."

Read more:
Cruyff becomes honorary president
Poll result: Will Cruyff stay honorary president?
Cruyff presented as honorary president

Rexach will next week decide on candidacy

Speaking to journalists on Thursday, former Barcelona player and manager Carles Rexach has said that he is still looking at the option to run for president in the upcoming elections and that he plans to decide next week:

"It's possible that I take part in the elections. I will let the Madrid game pass by and next week we will make a decision. There are people I'm interested in, others not that much. The world of football is quite complicated, but we will not jump the gun."

According to Spanish news agency Europa Press, Rexach also assured that he already has a project in place that would include names of collaborators.

Madrid sports tabloid As claims that one of the main people behind the candidacy of Rexach is Antón Parera, a former Barcelona executive at the time of former presidents Josep Lluís Núñez and Joan Gaspart, under whom he was general director.

Read more:
Rexach seriously considering to run for president
Poll result: Would Rexach be good president?
Rexach trying to set up campaign

Benedito says he will also run in next elections

Barcelona presidential candidate Agustí Benedito [picture, on the right] has said in an interview with Catalan local television station Teletaxi TV that he, no matter what happens in the upcoming presidential elections, will certainly take part in the next vote that in theory will take place in 2016:

"It was a hard decision for us to participate in these elections. There are a lot of people involved, a lot of money, a lot of energy, it's all very complicated. We made the decision because we had the certainty that our model for the club wasn't the same as that of the other two main candidacies.

And I will tell you something that I maybe shouldn't tell. It's possible that I won't win the elections and it might depend on others who at this moment have more chances to win. But the confidence we have in our program for Barça is so big that if we are not able to win now, we will defend it at the next elections. That's also why we're not interested in pacts. We have a long-term vision."

Read more:
Benedito: "The signatures won't be a problem"
Candidacies carrying out polls
Benedito wants to be the third way

Rosell could withdraw his candidacy

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona presidential candidate and former sports vice-president Sandro Rosell could possible have to withdraw from the election race as consequence of a "bomb" that is put in place by his opponents.

It is suggested that this could be linked with the fact that it is going to be a tough campaign and that all parties are preparing dossiers on the other candidates. All this would keep the possibility open that there in the end wouldn't be elections as there might only one candidate show up.

Read more:
Rosell wanted commission fee for sale Ronaldinho
Benedito wants to be the third way
Godall doesn't believe in Ferrer-Rosell duel

[2003] Blaugana Florentino waiting to come out

source: el mundo deportivo, friday 11 april 2003, page 18

Joan Laporta, a complicated option

Joan Laporta is still receiving plenty of advice on running and not running. Lluís Bassat seems to be in theory the candidate who could be affected the most as far as votes are concenrend by the participation or not of the young lawyer from Barcelona who led the 'Elefant Blau'. If there's a Reyna candidacy and Laporta runs, there will be a bipolarization and then the others will want to be the 'center' candidate.

Confidential

Jordi González, the president of the Mercabarna fan club, unveiled yesterday on Ona Catalana, the existence of a 'hidden candidate', a businessman able to present immediately 3.000 signatures and to arrive at 8.000.

He said he is a regular at the stadium, that he leads a group of 800 companies and that he was a member of the Chamber of Commerce and the Board of the Harbour. While he's awaiting how much support he could get, he puts forward as a condition that Evarist Murtra should be part of his future candidacy. Who is the blaugrana 'Florentino'?

check more 2003 election stories

Ingla closer to decision on running for president

Catalan radio station Ona FM claims that former Barcelona marketing and sports vice-president Marc Ingla is still considering to run for president in the elections on 13 June and would be closer to make a final decision (read more here).

Ingla would hold tomorrow a meeting with his collaborators to discuss the possibility of taking part in the elections. Ingla, who would have been the number two in case former Barcelona economic vice-president Ferran Soriano would have run, can reportedly count on the support of most of the board members who left the club in 2008 after the vote of no confidence (read more here).

Read more:
Former vice-president Ingla considering to run
Soriano will not run for president
Former vice-president Ingla will run for president

Poll result: 13 june is a good election date?

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

Yes 67%
No 28%
Don't know 5%

total votes: 61
start date poll: 29 january 2010
poll method: internet, free participation
source: la vanguardia

check more election poll results here

Guixa wants clarification on Ronaldinho commission

Barcelona presidential candidate has asked in a statement that president Joan Laporta and presidential candidate Sandro Rosell would clarify their position on the story by Laporta that Rosell, when he was sports vice-president, wanted to sell Ronaldinho and cash a commission fee (read more here):

"No candidate for the presidency of FC Barcelona should enter the electoral race with doubts on his reputation. All Barcelona fans want a fair election process, without any speculation.

If there are 'facts' that affect the honor of one of the candidates, I think that it is essential that the accuser shows his evidence and that the accused starts his legal defense before the elections.

The clarification of these facts is essential regarding offering a dignified process to all candidates, without confusing the club members or turning our club into a electoral circus."

Read more:
Guixa wants representative fan clubs in board
Rosell wanted commission fee for sale Ronaldinho
Guixa wants crèche at Camp Nou

Cruyff presented as honorary president

Former Barcelona player and coach Johan Cruyff was today officially presented as the first honorary president in the history of FC Barcelona (read more here).

Ferrer: "I know how do this"

Barcelona presidential candidate Jaume Ferrer gave an interview to Catalan local radio station Radio Cabrera and Catalan online sports paper Yoya.


Will you continue with the model of a coach plus a sports director? If so, will that be with Txiki?
I believe in the sports model that has been put in place over these last years and that has as pillars the coach of the first team, the sports director and the youth director. Our model is to invest in the academy, so that as many players as possible can become first team players, and to sign players that make the difference. I count on Txiki, I think that so far he has done a very good job, he has the ideal personality to be sports director and although I know about his intention to leave at the end of the season, which is when his contract runs out, I will try to convince him to continue.

What can you bring to Barça in case you would be president that the other candidates cannot provide?
All the candidates are certainly great Barcelona fans and can do very well, but what I can offer is my experience in this club. It's clear to me how I should do this, and all the people in this board know how to do it, because since 2003 we are managing the club, we have participated in the growth both in the sports and in the economic area. We know how to do it and we will explain to the club member that we will continue with the same model, which is still only half-way. The next years are crucial to make sure that FC Barcelona becomes a world reference.

Are you, given the current state of things, still in favour of the Foster project as it was presented to us back in the days?
I am in favour of the remodelling of the stadium, and it should be renewed for two clear reasons. For comfort reasons, for the elderly, for people who have a disability, to have more comfortable seats. As in most stadiums today, people go there to enjoy football with maximum comfort and safety. The other reason is the fact that we have to compete against clubs with new stadiums, with a capacity of income that our stadium at this moment doesn't have. We have to build more boxes for companies, and this will also affect the price of the season-tickets of the members, who will not have to pay as much because the revenues will come from the companies. So we should remodel the stadium to be competitive in the coming years. The Foster project should be reviewed but you must take into account that Foster only gave us a scale model, nothing more. When we have obtained the reclasification of the Miniestadi zone and the municipal authorizations we will see what we should do but we're not talking about figures of 300 millions that have been out there. We need to act with common sense.

What do you think about pacts with other candidates? Would you have any problem with including a candidate in your project or joining someone else?
I believe that now is not the time for pacts. It is the moment to present projects and to explain them to the club members. I'm not refusing any pact, I am open for anyone who wants to work for Barça, what we want is to unite not divide. But it is not the time for deals.

Do you think it is positive that you are seen as a candidate who can reach an agreement with everyone, someone who doesn't have real enemies?
Not having enemies is how it should be, we are all Barcelona fans, we all want Barcelona to do well, we have to get along, to be united and to build not divide. This is my way of thinking. I believe in an inclusive club where everyone has a place. All we have do is act with common sense and wisdom.

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

Read more:
Ferrer: "The president should give the example"
Who are the people behind Jaume Ferrer?
Ferrer doesn't want Laporta to campaign

interview: uri bruguera

Presentation video of candidate Miquel Pou

This is the presentation video of Barcelona presidential candidate Miquel Pou (read more here).

[2003] President Reyna considering to run

source: el mundo deportivo, thursday 10 april 2003, page 18

Reyna seeking advice from lawyers

President Enric Reyna, who is considering to run in the elections once the managing commission has been installed, has asked for legal advice to confirm the legality of his decision.

Josep Maria Coronas [board secretary] already positively informed the board about the possibility for all the members to get involved in the vote because they haven't been the direct target of any motion of confidence. That consultation was asked by several members of the board who have the desire to be part of a future candidacy.

The president has now asked legal professionals with a proven track record for further advice and they have agreed with Coronas. That, along with the support of several fan clubs and club members, strengthens him to seriously consider to take part in the elections.

Read more:
Former president Reyna so far not involved