This news is rather premature as the next election cycle is only in June 2016. Nevertheless, at a club meeting held April 18th, current club president Sandro Rosell announced that he will put himself into the 2016 election campaign. More after the jump.
Former Barcelona player (1988-95) and sporting director (2003-10) Txiki Begiristain has been appointed as the sporting director of Manchester City.
On 15 June, 2003 a group of thirty-something professionals, led by a young lawyer, Joan Laporta, took over one of the biggest football clubs in the world. Their starting point could not have been worse. The club was technically bankrupt with €150 million worth of debts. The team had been humiliated on the pitch. For four seasons they had won nothing.
With unprecedented, exclusive access to the inner workings of a major European club, this documentary observes the story of Laporta and his team’s first year in power. Watch the documentary after the jump.
In an interview published Saturday, ex-Barcelona president Joan Laporta expressed his desire to return to the club presidency, and criticized the decisions of the Rosell administration. Laporta, who departed the club in June of 2010, left behind a mixed legacy: his undeniable success in sporting terms was tempered by allegations of economic impropriety that follow him to this day.
Looking forward, Laporta was clear about his intentions: “I am ready to return to FC Barcelona as president. I came to this realization at the end of the season…I had a clear understanding that the policies of the current board were obsessed with destroying all that we accomplished.”
Irrespective on how much weight one places on the scandals following the maximum two terms as FC Barcelona President, the importance of Joan Laporta in transforming FC Barcelona into what it is today cannot be refuted. Never one to shy away from the issues, Laporta offered his views to Catalunya Ràdio on Guardiola leaving.
“Guardiola will become the next president of FC Barcelona and Xavi will be club’s coach.”
In an interview with Italian newspaper ‘La Repubblica’, former FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta shares his view on Pep’s and Xavi’s future.
In a recent article published by El País (the original can be found here), Barça’s former President Joan Laporta thanked Pep Guardiola for his words about the financial situation that is affecting him and some of his old board members, as they are being forced to present a financial guarantee for the losses the club had before his first presidency started.
A few things have emerged after this weekend. As you might have noticed, there is a lot of talk about Pep’s words towards the former Barça directive board. Some members of the board led by Joan Laporta have been forced, by a legal dispute, to present a financial back up for the losses his board inherited from Joan Gaspart’s presidency in 2003. Laporta and seven of his old board members- which, for some reason, does not include Sandro Rosell himself, vice president in 2003- need to present financial back up of about 2.9 million euros each. Back in 2006, a Barça member filed a lawsuit to make Laporta and his board responsible for the previous losses. Laporta and the rest lost the legal dispute and have to present the back up this Friday.
Former FC Barcelona President Joan Laporta has been speaking after he witnessed the club lift their fourth European Cup in Wembley at the weekend, with the one-time Barça President obviously proud of what the team has achieved whilst still maintaining his position against current club President Sandro Rossell.
Newly elected FC Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has continued his personal feud with outgoing leader Joan Laporta, according to reports in a variety of media, inciting the general assembly to agree to take Laporta and his board of directors to court over financial losses incurred by the club under his presidency.
Our heart goes out to the little girl (hereafter referred to as the cutie pie), who is sandwiched between an uninterested former FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta and an indifferent family relative unseen in the photo. Laporta’s eyes are glued to the PYT as he waits for someone to take over the cutie pie, whose bemused expression says a million things. This photograph, taken in 2008 in Almeria, screams for a caption. Gotta love the Messi-like golden boots.
Give us your best shot after the jump!
Original article @ Bleacher Report
by Adi-Oula Sebastian (edited for totalBarça by OmarX)
AC Milan finally got their man… Adriano Galliani hustled FC Barcelona yet again. This time they managed to con FC Barcelona for their most expensive signing in Zlatan Ibrahimovic for a mere €24.000.000 payable next year.
Sandro Rosell is now officially the president of FC Barcelona.
Sandro Rosell began to design the future of FC Barcelona in an afternoon meeting Monday with manager Pep Guardiola, one of the first moves of his new presidency. High on the agenda were discussions on the coming season, as well as Guardiola’s future with the club.
According to Catalan based newspaper Sport, Joan Laporta arrived early at the polls to vote for the next president that will be his successor after being Barcelona’s president for the past seven years.
“I am very confident that Arsenal will end up understanding the situation. For Cesc the best thing would be to complete the transfer as soon as possible, before the start of the World Cup. But I recognize that it will be complicated because Arsenal are totally within their rights to stand firm and we have to respect that.”
FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta, commenting on the lines of communication between Barcelona and Arsenal about Fabregas’ bid, at a conference in the Universidad de Vic entitled ‘Barça, more than a club. The keys to a successful plan’.
According to Catalan based news paper Sport, in a ceremony held on Wedensday in Madrid, FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta indicated that the agreement between the club and the UNICEF should continue until the year 2011. Marta Segu, CEO of the foundation of UNICEF said “the commitment of the club [FC Barcelona] to the vulnerable children has been extraordinary.”
“They [Real Madrid] are looking for ways to answer our model of football and I believe they have Barcelonitis. They are in a situation where Barcelona have won everything and they have not won a thing. We will continue to impose ourselves on the pitch and it will be up to them to find a response to our model.”
FC Barcelona president, Joan Laporta, commenting on the presentation of Real Madrid’s new coach Jose Mourinho.
Catalan sports paper Sport report that Barcelona president Joan Laporta last night suggested Arsenal were overpricing Cesc Fabregas because he had left them for next to nothing six years ago and has won next to nothing with Arsenal in the way of major honours since.
Former FC Barcelona midfielder, member of the well known “Dream Team”, and current coach Josep Guardiola (39) collected his seventh trophy as Barcelona’s coach after winning the Primera Division this Sunday with an impressive 4 – 0 victory over Javier Clemente’s Real Valladolid.
The current president of FC Barcelona, Joan Laporta, insisted on Monday that Bojan Krkic (19) will remain a Barcelona player next season. In saying as much, the president has put an end to all the speculation about Bojan either being loaned out in order to get some playing time, or being included to a swap deal for either Fabregas, Ribery or David Villa.
“The player must show his desire to play for the best team in the world considering he was once a blaugrana himself. Because of that, he needs to tell his (current) club he wants to come to Barca.”
“Experience tells us a player’s price becomes a lot more expensive after the World Cup, as such it would be wise if we can make any signings before then.”
Speaking to a French TV Canal Plus reporter yesterday, FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta insisted all the ‘noise’ about ‘Villarato’ hurled at the club a few months ago was just a figment of the media’s imagination [specifically Madrid-based].
“I think there are no excuses for the trip. We are not a club that are looking for excuses. This is a great team that knows how to play. A very prestigious club, but the result can be overcome. The remaining 90 minutes are to be played at home. I hope Pedro’s goal is crucial.”
FC Barcelona President Joan Laporta
According to the Moroccan media, FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta met up with Arsenal FC midfielder and Spanish international Cesc Fabregas, in Morocco early last week.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta believes FC Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes (28) deserves to be part of Spain’s World Cup squad this summer.
He is one of the most successful presidents the club has ever had. In the seven years he was at the helm, Joan Laporta has returned FC Barcelona to its rightful place as one of the best clubs in Europe. What’s admirable of his administration is the way he manages to lift the Catalunya flagship sports club into what it is today – not just in football but also in every field of sports that the club participates in Spain and Europe – while at the same time still be financially prudent and viable.
Barcelona President was clearly satisfied with overcoming Real Madrid yesterday in a game that will most likely be “major blow to Real Madrid’s moral,” according to Espnstar.com.
In a bid to pre-empt presidential candidates including Sandro Rosell from using the promise of a new star signing to entice votes in this up-coming club election, incumbent president Joan Laporta non-chalantly dropped a hint.
“Sandro Rosell will not be able to present his candidacy with a promised signing of two players as I already have their verbal agreements that could see them at the club even before June 30. That means he will have to wait for next year to sign someone if in the end he does win the presidency.” Continue reading »
Even though what he says now may have little bearing on what the club might do in the future, especially if his chosen continuity candidate fails to win the next presidency, the out-going Barcelona President Joan Laporta was asked by French magazine Le Journal du Dimanche what he thinks about a couple of players’ and a French coach’s chances of joining the Catalan club.
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