Cruijff: “Philosophy, not signings”

Johan Cruijff was interviewed by Marca after announcing his support to Laporta: http://www.marca.com/2015/07/01/futbol/equipos/barcelona/1435739482.html

Here’s the full interview in English:

How are you seeing the elections campaign?
These are things that are hard to talk about right now, because we need to see who will present themselves and how everything will turn out. Barcelona is very ambiguous and there’s something for everyone. In my opinion, values should come before money, which is something which should never come first. Before everything else comes the principles, the values, this is the most important thing, money is secondary.

Do you think it was necessary to call these elections?
Of course, it was really important. In the sporting side it has been an exceptional year, with good football and titles. But it wasn’t all that happened, we also lost values, like La Masia.
In the other hand, FC Barcelona has won by a landslide the world record for tweets regarding judicial matters and that cannot be. We need to be serious. The boost from Barcelona to help the world with UNICEF has been the biggest there ever was. With that choice UNICEF gained a lot of social presence. And that no longer happens.

Does what happened to La Masia hurt you the most?
When Barcelona wasn’t doing well, there were two very important choices in its way of playing and thinking, that were the signings of Rijkaard and Guardiola. Both stayed 8 years in the first team, putting in place a project where La Masia was a magical word, and now that no longer happens.

What has happened?
I don’t know, but it’s a problem. Everything regarding the signings looks good to me, but everyone else does that. The values are basic stuff not only during elections, but also in life.

Solving this issues if responsibility of the next President?
These are 2 or 3 of the basic questions. That’s why I’m glad there will be elections where some are leaving and others are coming in. In Laporta’s time, it’s was advised that all good players from our various teams should study.
Masip was an example, I know because he was in my school. The objective was for him to study and prepare himself so in the end he could help our sporting teams keep their good level. The idea is that these kind of players, with this formation and studies, could eventually manage one of our teams. Now this formation no longer happens.

What do you think about the FIFA signing ban?
I haven’t got the slightest clue about such matters, but there are several rules that you cannot break. It’s been years since we’ve heard anything from La Masia, I don’t know why they did it.

Does it affect the club’s prestige?
Everyone is glad by the way Barcelona plans, but each passing time there’s less people. Signing players, all clubs in the world can do that. I want to set things apart.

You are proposing a change, then?
That will be decided by those who vote. One thing is how the first team works and another is how the club works. These are very different things. The first team has won everything while Barça B has been relegated. That is a problem.

Every day there are news about Neymar’s signing. How badly was this operation handled?
I don’t have the slightest idea about what they did regarding this matter, but it’s a shame for the player because he’s always in the eye of the hurricane for subjects off the field. Neymar has to play football to get better and grow in several aspects, which will only happen if he plays football. Nevertheless, he’s always associated with negative stuff.

You didn’t trust in the understanding between Neymar and Messi, and now Suarez is with them. Did it surprise you?
It isn’t a question if it was expected or not. All 3 are excellent footballers coming from a year without winning anything, which always helps in managing things in a different way. All 3 had a perfect year indeed.

The change that occurred in January was due to what?
Those are details that people don’t ever realize.

What details are you talking about?
It makes no sense to talk about them. They are very important details and before January RM was going to win everything and at Barcelona it was the complete opposite. If you pay attention, it’s easy to notice, but if I say it myself people will say it’s because I’m in favor of one and against another. There were details on each side, and one was going up while the other was going down.

You signed Luis Enrique. What did you see in him?
He was a winger and we played with wingers, it was a very important position for the team and it required a great physical preparation. He was 2 in 1 because he could handle both the prototype of an offensive fullback and that of one defensive winger. With Goiko we had the same situation. He had a character that always made him give 100% on his play.
These are the kinds of things you look at when you sign a player. Signing a name does not make any sense, that’s stuff for newspapers, you have to bring someone to the group who brings something to a deficit the team may have. In the end you sign to improve the people you have around you.

Right now Luis Enrique is a hero, but in January he was almost fired.
I see things differently, this about going up and down comes from the press, there’s very little knowledge from a high level of football. He has done a great job.

And he counted with a Leo Messi who has surpassed himself yet again.
Look at his statistics and look at his personal life. All of that influences in any professional sportsman, because everything has to be perfect so one can be at 100%. And if that isn’t the case, you need to see why it doesn’t work. Why was so he so great during the season, and right now, not so much with Argentina? I don’t want to say he isn’t doing well, but he doesn’t have the success he had in Barcelona. The details mark the difference.
Again with the details. Which?
I don’t dare to say it, it wouldn’t make sense because I’m not there. If I say anything, it would be just be what I think is happening. And then everyone is gonna talk about what I say.

Why are you campaigning for Laporta?
I’m with Laporta above all due to the values. First we need to see how Barcelona was in 2003, before he came in, and then see how it was after he left. You see what he did and you can see his worth. In all the teams, in how the players were studying, helping the kids around the world by giving the shirt to UNICEF, how La Masia was spreading around the world… These are values and I’m with them.

It’s clear that the Barcelona from 2010 was better than the one Laporta got in 2003. Is the 2010 team even better than the current one?
Seven court cases. La Masia does not exist, UNICEF does not exist… you tell me. To each his own. I do not say what they have to do, I say there were some values in 2010 and now there are none.

Would you work in the club if Laporta asked you?
I wouldn’t accept it. I’m his adviser, I don’t want a position. I’m never going to enter the club because for that you actually need to be there. But, yes, I’ll give my opinion when asked.

And if they gave you the Honorary President medal again, would you accept it?
No, I have so many medals from so many countries that it wouldn’t miss it. That’s why, when they (Rosell) talked about the matter, I gave it back.

Can one win the elections without signing Pogba?
I talk about the philosophy, I don’t go about signing names. It’s not even worth the time to talk about it, it would be useless. It’s just a circus that is assembled by the press, something that does not impress me or interest me. The only thing they want is to sell newspapers. And of course Pogba is very good, I know him very well and he’s easygoing. How can anyone say that by signing a player you win an election if a President stays in power for 6 years?

ITF and Bartomeu

The International Transport Worker’s Federation (ITF) was pleased when, he was still the President, Bartomeu said he was thinking of not renewing with Qatar Airways.

That’s why they made sure to send the following letter to every single FCB Penya in the world:

Compliments to FC Barcelona followers,

In name of Qatar Airways’ workers – who describe the environment in which they work every day – and the construction workers who are made to risk their lives in the sites of the 2022 World Cup, we’d like to thank you all for considering the continuity of Qatar Airways as a FC Barcelona sponsor.

We believe yours is a great club with a great mission. That mission consists in representing the local community, the fans and its values. It’s hard to fulfil that mission while promoting an airline known for treating its staff in an inflexible and dictatorial manner. It’s a paradox. We are glad with the recent statements from Josep Maria Bartomeu, where he made it clear the club probably will not renew the sponsorship agreement in 2016. The President has listened to all – fans, workers and unions – that state that it’s incompatible with the blaugrana values and desires and that demand the contract with Qatar Airways is rescinded.

Josep Maria Bartomeu is right. In part, FC Barcelona is what it is due its conduct code and it’s faithfulness towards social responsibility. Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways delegate, said in a quote used on FC Barcelona’s website that “Barça and Qatar Airways share the same values”. That’s an insult to the truth and the intelligence of the club’s fans.

Given the disturbing revelations about what’s happening in Qatar and its choice as a World Cup host, we’re safe in saying that FC Barcelona should never renew the sponsorship with Qatar Airways in 2016. We ask you that we help us to keep it that way. If you continue to show your unhappiness with the fact that your club carries the name of a condemned airline from a nation no one believes in, we’ll assure FC Barcelona will be making the right choice in 2016.

In solidarity,

Stephen Cotton, General Secretary at  the International Transport Worker’s Federation.

Thing is: that has changed completely.

Bartomeu has said several times he will renew with Qatar Airways, even saying “no one ever told me our club is now lesser for having Qatar Airways on our shirt”, and that “we have a strategic alliance with Qatar Airways, they have helped us grow”.

The concerns from the ITF will remain if Bartomeu is reelected. But Bartomeu will be surprised with what will happen this week.

Bartomeu: Unique

FCB Elections are 26 days away, and right about now we still have 6 precandidates.

In 5 days, on July 27th, we’ll know who are the actual candidates: those who managed to get more than 2.534 soci signatures and will actually be allowed to run as FCB President.

Joan Laporta, Agusti Benedito. Maybe Toni Freixa.
But the most unique out of the 3 or 4 actual candidates is going to be Bartomeu.

He’s the ONLY candidate that:

– Back in 2008, said “voting No against Laporta is voting No to Cruijff”

– In 2010, lied and voted on the Responsability Lawsuit against Laporta (Freixa also voted here), something completely unbased that was ruled false by a Judge.

– After promising Abidal would be renewed “after playing his first match”, let him leave the club by the backdoor.

– Signed 9 out of the 11 contracts when we signed Neymar, an operation that made Rosell, Bartomeu as our club (for the first time in its history) be charged with tax fraud and corruption.

– Once again: Bartomeu is the ONLY CANDIDATE running that is as we speak being charged with TAX FRAUD AND CORRUPTION for something he did while working at FC BARCELONA.

– As Sporting Vice-President, sat on his hands for 14 months after being told by FIFA they were looking into La Masia players

– Became the only person in the history of our club to be called President after having received zero votes from socis.

– After the FIFA Ban was announced, blamed it all on “black hands” from Madrid, to a few months after say it happened due to “administrative errors in La Masia”

– When appearing before a Judge regarding the Neymar Case, said “he would do it exactly the same again”. The Judge wants him in jail for 2 years if he’s found guilty of tax fraud on the player’s signing.

– Before signing Luis Enrique, wanted to renew Tata Martino until 2016

– Stalled Messi’s scheduled contract renewal for 9 months, only to try to change it all over again after it had been agreed upon.

– Ran a poll among socis in 2014 where one of the questions was: “Would you sell Messi? If so, for which price?”

– Fired Zubizarreta in January, 2015 for saying a simple fact: Bartomeu was the Sporting Vice-President during the events (or lack of actions) that lead to the FIFA Signing Ban

– Hired Arieado Braida, a man with zero knowledge of our club or playing style, who wasn’t even good enough to keep working in AC Milan

– Changed our shirt for the first time in 115 years, allowing Nike to come up with an horizontally stripped design that will “certainly be a success among foreign fans, who aren’t as tied to our historical values”.

– Demanded Fair Play from the other candidates after announcing there would be elections, but appeared in over 100 events as FCB President/Candidate, and several activites where the club’s money was spent so the candidate Bartomeu could talk about his “accomplishments”

– One day before renewing Luis Enrique, said on a radio interview he… would not renew Luis Enrique. “That’s up to the next President, not me”. A right move, but he still lied.

– Out of the 6 precandidates, Bartomeu is the ONLY one who would renew with Qatar Airways. “It’s the only offer we received and IT’S WHAT WE WANT FOR THE CLUB’S FUTURE”.

– Said he would not use any signing promises during the elections, and before holding his first presser as candidate, already went and did just that. “Fair Play”.

PS: This article is going to be updated several times on the next month.

FC Barcelona Elections: Timetable

FC Barcelona’s elections were officially called, and Bartomeu and his board have now left the club.

Some precandidates have already held pressers (Toni Freixa and Agusti Benedito), but there are more people about to do the same (Jordi Farre, Joan Laporta and Jordi Majo).

To avoid further doubts, let’s talk about how the election process will take place, with the exact dates for each step:

June 12^th until June 16^th: There will be a draw by the Managing Board to determine the electoral table and its members.

June 17^th and 18^th: The Electoral Board and the Electoral Table will be chosen, following the draw.

June 19^th: The precandidates will be allowed to ask the club to provide them with the slips of paper necessary so they can collect the signatures from the socis (club members) approving their candidacy. Each candidate must present a minimum of 2.534 signatures.

June 19^th until June 23^rd: The precandidates will have 4 days to come up with at least 2.534 socis to sign the proof they would vote for them.

June 24^th until June 26^th: The club will decide if the signatures brought in check out. If so, the precandidates would be allowed to become actual candidates.

June 27^th until July 5^th: The candidates will present their candidacies, with all their projects for the club.

July 9^th until July 16^th: The actual campaign will take place. Debates between the candidates, meeting with socis, presentations, the works. The actual fight happens during these 7 days.

July 17^th: Rest day. Candidates can’t have any activities.

July 18^th: The actual vote, from 9 am until 9 pm, Barcelona time.

So what does all of this means?

It basically means that from today (June 11^th) until June 19^th, the precandidates have all the time in the world to hold pressers and announce their plans and projects for the club.

Their only actual, formal step so they can go from precandidates to formal candidates takes place from June 19^th until the 23^rd, where there will have 4 days to come up with 2.534 socis to sign a piece of paper saying they would vote for them.

From the looks of it, 2-3 smaller candidates most likely won’t get the 2.532 signatures they need.

The focus during the campaign will most likely be on Bartomeu, Laporta and Benedito.

But the dirt will start being thrown next week. So buckle up.

Benvingut, Aleix Vidal

One year after signing one of the worst right backs in the Brazilian League, but one that did become a great meme (http://lucasammr.com/2014/08/21/douglas-the-poor-mans-alves/), FC Barcelona signed a RW/RCM that has played only 8 matches as a right back: Aleix Vidal.

But don’t worry. He’s a good player and I’m glad we signed him.

Aleix Vidal could be called a right-footed Alba: spent time at La Masia, then went a few smaller clubs (something that didn’t happen with Alba, who was signed by Valencia B), and eventually landed on a big spanish club, who then proceeded to convert him from a winger to a fullback: Unai Emery’s Sevilla.

The difference is: Alba spent 3 seasons in Valencia being converted from winger to fullback, and when we signed him, he was already one of the best LBs in La Liga.

Aleix Vidal was used mostly as a winger or midfield on his time with Almeria, where he spent 3 seasons and played over 120 matches, but only one of those season were in La Liga. The other two he spent on the Second Division.

As usual, Monchi saw something in him, and signed him for Sevilla for 3mi euros in the summer of 2014. Unai Emery mostly used him as attacking midfielder or right winger, but Aleix only started to shine on the second half of the season, where he started playing some matches as right back.

It was as a right back that Aleix had his best ever performance: Scored 2 goals and gave the assist on the 3-0 Sevilla win over Fiorentina for the Europa League semi-final first leg:

Aleix did really well on big matches this season: apart from his MOTM performance above, he gave assists against both FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, and scored against Bilbao.

Final Considerations

Aleix’s signing was weird due to the timing. SPORT leaked the news before we even played our UCL final, and the club confirmed the deal when we were literally celebrating our Triple in the streets.

While the player is a proper footballer who has had a great breakout season with Sevilla, he only played 2 seasons in La Liga, and literally only played 8 matches as a right back. Which isn’t a serious concern, given we don’t need fullbacks that are great at defending: we need them to be masters at passing, keeping and controlling the ball.

Aleix will have 4 months to work on all of that, as he said it himself on his presentation. Since he will only be able to play for us in January, he’ll only be able to train with the team.

His price was 18mi euros, plus 4 mi in variables (well, at least that was what this board said his price was, we don’t actually know if that’s the truth…), which wasn’t expensive, but not cheap, as the player will be 26 years old in August, isn’t really a right back and has only had 2 years experience in top flight football.

For that price we could have signed a younger or more promising right back, like Aurier, Cedric or Fabrinho, but they would certainly be way more expensive (specially Aurier), and most up and coming players would not want to stay 4 months without playing official matches, since we cannot loan back players during our transfer ban.

Given the timing of the transfer and how quickly Aleix was announce, most likely this means Dani Alves is indeed leaving FCB. He surely has earned the right to stay, and the club claims to have offered him 2 years plus a 3rd if he plays 60% of the matches on his second season, but difference is regarding wages, and most likely we’ll never know how much did the club offer and how much Dani wanted to stay.

Can we fare from August-December with only Douglas and Montoya?

Since I’m asked this dozens of times per week:

Bartra can play RB.
Adriano can play RB.
Hell, even Mascherano can play RB.

4 months without Alves and/or Aleix would not cause much damage to our 2015/16.

The team’s cohesion will be kept the same if Lucho stays, and even if he does leave, we are equipped to handle Alves’ absence and wait until Aleix can make his debut.

Benvingut, Aleix.

Bartomeu and The Treble

History is written by the victors.
What Ter Stegen, Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba, Busquets, Rakitic, Iniesta, Neymar, Suarez and Messi achieved yesterday is already part of history. They wrote each word of our superb season, with the help of Luis Enrique and his fantastic staff. Even Zubizarreta deserves credit for what we achieved yesterday, as Lucho and Puyol made sure to remind us all of.

But Bartomeu did not write a single letter of this success story.
We achieved our second Triplete in spite of Bartomeu and his board.
Let’s remind how “vital” our President has been since he took over in January 24^th, 2014:

Our club was indicted by tax fraud for the first time in its history

One month after taking over, Bartomeu went before a Judge and said “the club would do everything the same again” when they signed Neymar. Result? The tax fraud case regarding the signings was opened, and FC Barcelona was charged with said crime for the first time in its history.

Of course Rosell was the one who personally signed Neymar and thought of all the “financial engineering” that landed us on that situation. But Bartomeu signed all contracts as Sporting Vice-President, and as Rosell’s best friend, knew very well what was happening.

Rosell may end up in jail for 7 years, and Bartomeu for 2. The trial will only take place in the next few months, most likely in 2016, but someone who has dragged our club’s name through so much dirt shouldn’t even be allowed to run on the coming elections.

We were banned by FIFA and cannot sign players and Bartomeu was at fault

Rosell and Bartomeu were warned by FIFA about the irregularities regarding several youth signings in January 2013.
Bartomeu was then Sporting Vice-President and had the responsibility to act on it and protect our club and the kids’ future. He didn’t.
13 months later, when our club did absolutely nothing to respond to FIFA, the punishment came: we were forbidden from signings players.

The first Bartomeu did, now as President: went on live TV and said it all a “black hand’s” fault.

The man who had already lied to all culers when he said Abidal would be renewed the second he played again for us in 2013, was now doing it again.

Bartomeu knew about the FIFA Case, the players involved, and still sat idle. The second we were banned from signings players, he blamed some dark, mysterious person for such situation.

As we’re gonna see ahead, people in the club knew clearly who was to blame, and ended up paying dearly for speaking their minds.

Bartomeu stalled Messi’s renewal even after it had been agreed upon

FC Barcelona took 9 months to renew the best player in history. From August, 2013 until May, 2014, Lionel Messi and his family waited for the club to finalize the renewal that has happened without any problems since 2008.

On May 6^th, 2015, it had all be ready and agreed upon. But Bartomeu and his team of geniuses advisors decided on the last minute to change things, especially regarding Messi’s image rights.

Now imagine being Messi. Being our best ever player, waiting for 9 months to have something he had the right to get, being told that in the last minute that club had changed their minds.

13 more days it took to have Messi’s signature on that contract. May 19^th it was, then.

Messi left for the World Cup completely frustrated at the club, and Bartomeu had everything to do with it.

The summer signings were made by Zubizarreta and Luis Enrique, not Bartomeu

In the last few weeks I talked to several culers who actually thought Bartomeu is the reason we signed players like Suarez, Rakitic and ter Stegen on the last summer.

The same way not even Joan Laporta, our best ever President, ever made any signings, neither did Bartomeu. It does not work like that.

Florentino Perez surely does it at his club, but just look at how well that is going for him. And on the one time a FCB President handled a signing by his own, he may end up in prison for 7 years. Yes, Rosell and Neymar.

Let’s go through each signing:

ter Stegen: had been scouted by FCB for years and was handpicked by Zubi to take over after Valdes left.
Rakitic: since Lucho was hired before our 13/14 season had ended, he asked Zubi to get the croatian. Lucho had received Tata’s warning about Cesc being a rotten apple, and wanted Rakitic.
Luis Suarez: signing the best 9 in the world doesn’t take much from a President. We needed money and Luis Enrique’s clear wish to sign him. So much so, Luis Enrique himself went to Liverpool to finalize the deal, and not Bartomeu.
Claudio Bravo: Lucho’s second in command, Unzue, specifically asked for Bravo. He wanted a more experienced keeper, and we got just that. Again, nothing to do with Bartomeu.
Douglas: A signing so strange it almost caused one of Zubi’s close assistants to be fired. It had to do with Traffic’s influence inside our club, and neither the coach or President were involved in such ridiculous signing.
Mathieu: Another direct wish from Luis Enrique. He wanted the French player, and we paid the 20mi euros to acquire him.
Vermaelen: Zubi was responsible from bringing a player he was told by doctors was already injured.

So, no. Signings the checks does not give any kind of credit to Bartomeu regarding our last signings. No one in their right minds say Laporta was responsible for signings players like Toure and Eto’o, so no one is gonna say Bartomey brought Luis Suarez.

Txiki was our best Sporting Director during the Laporta era, and he even landed the City job. No one is gonna hire Bartomeu as Sporting Director after he steps down. Simple as that.

January 4^th, 2015: Anoeta and the firing of Zubizarreta

After losing to Anoeta, and being asked once again about the FIFA Ban, Zubizarreta had enough. He said with all words that they should be asking that question to Bartomeu, “since he was the Sporting Director at the time”.

Bartomeu’s response was firing Zubi on the next day. The same Zubi that had been used as a shield by this board time and time again, the same Zubi who with the help of Luis Enrique made great signings in the summer, the same Zubi who had brought Carles Puyol to work with the club, had been fired.

And that is why today, after winning our 5^th UCL title and second Triplete, Luis Enrique is still unsure about staying on as coach.

From that moment on, Luis Enrique said many times he didn’t feel right at the club with the person who hired him, Zubi, gone.
Not only did Zubi hire Lucho.
He had wanted him for the 13/14 season, but Rosell pulled Tata Martino out of nowhere (no, Messi didn’t ask for Tata Martino. Messi had never even met Tata before he became our coach…). After Tito, Zubi wanted Lucho, but had to endure Tata for a whole season before making it happen.

When he did, they made great signings together, and after the first real crisis, Lucho saw the man who had put him in charge of FC Barcelona being fired for SAYING THE TRUTH about Bartomeu and the FIFA Ban.

Luis Enrique is loyal, and that never went down with him. His doubts right now regarding staying on as coach has nothing or very little to do with the players, Messi or Neymar. Lucho isn’t dumb, and the players aren’t either. They know they must keep this partnership to attain more glory next season. Any differences were put aside to win titles, and we won every single one of them.

But Lucho knows Bartomeu, the man who asked fair play from the other candidates but managed to appear and every single event to try to get as many votes as he can, cannot be trusted. What he did to Zubi was treason, and Lucho does not want to be responsible for such a man having any chance of winning the elections, nor does he want to work under a man that could throw him under the bus at any second.

Bartomeu will soon be on trial for tax fraud in a case he managed to drag our club’s good name with him. He was also directly responsible for our club being banned from signings players during 2015. He lied to us all about Abidal’s renewal.

His chances of winning the election are low even with the Triplete. But if Lucho steps down now and say all the things he’s been meaning to say since Zubi was fired, Bartomeu would be dead in the water.

Let’s hope Lucho stays on as coach, but still makes it clear to the fans who deserves the merits from this outstanding season we just had, and who are people who only made things harder for us.

Bartomeu changed our shirt’s design because of money

Our club has had different crests throughout its history. Different stadiums. Hell, we’ve even had different names!
But our shirt has always been one way, and Bartomeu changed it for next season to earn more money: http://lucasammr.com/2015/05/23/geometry/

Bartomeu has been one of the main culprits for the downfall of La Masia

La Masia reached its peak under Alexanko and Benaiges, people who were given the keys to the kingdom by Laporta.
Rosell came and chose Amor and Puig, who started to change things and even focus more on signing foreign players to get in the way of Real Madrid than focusing on catalan players, which eventually led to the FIFA Ban.
Bartomeu fired Amor and Puig, so the blame to the FIFA Ban would fall on them, and brought on Roura and Altimira, ex-players with no experience in managing the Academy.
The result?
No Masia players coming up the first team, and Barça B being relegated to 3^rd Division.

I’m gonna write, with the help of friends, an extensive article on how Rosell and Bartomeu have been destroying La Masia since 2010.

Starting today, all my focus and energy will be on making it clear why Bartomeu is not fit to even run on the coming elections, let alone win it.

24 hours

In 24 hours, something every single culer has been waiting for 4 years will happen. Our beloved club will play its 8th European Cup final. After a season where we saw 3 very different tactical approaches, where the coach was almost fired in January and where we saw our most recognizable strenght (the midfield) be diminished so the best attacking trio of all times could shine, we are here.

Berlin.

Most of us won’t be there. Me included. But all of us followed this roller coaster of a UCL season we had. And given the pessimism most culers suffer from, let’s be reminded of our campaign so far:

Group Stages. “This FCB team is in formation, PSG will finish as group champions”. This was the main talk, especially after that crazy 3-2 in Paris.
Then we crushed them at the Camp Nou and won the Group.

1/16. Manchester City. “We are done. FCB is in crisis and City even managed to beat Bayern”. Messi pulled 2 of his most incredible performances ever, and we went through comfortably.

1/8. PSG once again. “PSG knocked Chelsea off! They are ready for us! They already beat us!”. Suarez ripped David Luiz in two (twice) and we have fun with them at the Camp Nou as well.

Semi-finals. Bayern. Pep. “This is over. This draw was rigged so RM would reach the final. We have no chance against Pep”. Messi “killed” Pep the same way Zeus killed Chronos to take up his place as the ruler of Olympus. The defeat in Germany meant very little. We reached the final.

Juventus has been dominating Italian football for several years now, and that won’t end any time soon. They are cohesive, united team, with a defense just as strong as ours (but not better), one of the most talented midfields in Europe (not as experienced as ours) and a very dangerous attack with Tevez and Morata (not even gonna say anything about MSN).

And there’s Messi. I know, you are all tired of hearing about him, but when it comes to the UCL, and to finals, there’s no ignoring him.

Messi knows very well when to force himself and when to take it easy. I have been saying this for years, but this season it became very clear.

When he’s playing Copa del Rey matches, it is as if he makes it clear he is holding back. It’s the competition he has his “worst” scoring ratio. He knows it is the least important title of the season, and there’s always a second leg if things somehow get ugly.

But, at the final, he scored one of the most incredible goals of his career. He knew that time had come to stop holding back and what he unleashed was historical. Irrepetible.

43 goals and 18 assists in 38 La Liga matches. Stop and think how insane those numbers are. Messi didn’t end as Pichichi because he took 5 penalties less than the Underwear Seller, but shone by either scoring or assisting in almost all matches this season, especially the hardest ones. His La Liga form is superb, and we he took us to our 23rd title.

But then there’s UCL Messi. The Messi that scares me.

10 goals and 5 assists in 12 games. He could easily have had 4 more goals if not for Hart and Neuer, too. And his performances against PSG, City and especially Bayern had been earth shattering. If you go to any stats website (Whoscored, for instance), you’re gonna see Messi’s numbers are almost perfect during UCL matches.

It’s the hardest competition there is, and he knows it. He knows the team needs his absolute best to achieve success.

And we are very close to that. In 24 hours.

Culers usually worry themselves sick before big games, and there is no bigger game than this.

I won’t read match previews, tactical analysis or player/coaches interviews.
I won’t worry about the lineup, or who isn’t playing for Juventus.

I’m gonna stop reading anything regarding football the moment I post this article on twitter, and dedicate 24 hours to tuning off.

Gonna wake up early tomorrow, go for a run, then play with my dogs.
Thinking of eating some parmegiana steak for lunch tomorrow. Don’t share many things with Messi, but our favorite food is the same.

Then I’m taking a nap and going to the movies. This time, I’m watching a different time of movie.

I’m watching our team close its fantastic season on the best of ways on the biggest screen I could find in Brazil.

Will we win?

Of course we will. Messi was even kind enough to let us know beforehand:

If his UCL form is even better than his usual Godly form, imagine what his UCL final form is going to be.

And imagine that when his even aching to play the final.

In 24 hours, we are gonna have a great time, and so will Messi and the other players. Stop worrying about it, and enjoy.

As a wise dutchman once said, before we won our first European Cup: Salid y disfrutad.
Go out there and enjoy.

Senyor Merda

Javier Faus, el nostre Vice President financer que un cop es referí a Messi com “aquest senyor”, i es planteja seriosament ser el President del FCB al juliol, ha donat una entrevista a Handelsblatt: http://www.handelsblatt.com/sport/fussball/fc-barcelona-vizepraesident-verhoehnt-die-bayern-ich-moechte-nicht-vom-konzern-kontrolliert-werden/11764170.html

Donat que ha dit coses que aixecaran polèmica a l’internet, neutralitzem les seves declaracions:

“Serà un desafiament, però evitarem que Messi, Neymar i Suàrez marxin. Però si hi ha un club que te el potencial d’endur-se’ls usant el seu talonari, se’ls endurà. Ens tenim que adaptar a les noves circumstàncies del mercat, a clubs com el PSG o Chelsea. No podrem estar tranquils mai més. Els jugadors tenen una vida professional molt curta i estan al seu dret de demanar el què altres clubs els puguin pagar. El fet que un altre club els ofereixi més diners no ens autoritza a dir “si us plau, queda’t per la meitat dels diners”.

Lionel Messi no se’n va enlloc. Acaba de renovar fa un any i la seva progressió salarial és la millor que hi ha al món del futbol: aviat guanyarà 25 milions €/any, i ens ho podem permetre. Neymar tot just s’ha guanyat el seu augment salarial, i Suarez acaba d’arribar, però, certament, el mereix l’any vinent.

Xavi Torres, un dels millors periodistes a Espanya i molt proper als Messi, diguè un dia abans que el Bayern vingués al Camp Nou que Messi ES QUEDA. Torres té accés privilegiat als Messi, va seguir de prop la renovació del seu contracte i no escriu només per obtenir titulars. És un periodista correcte, amb un accés adequat.

Un pot inclús dir que Messi està construint una mansió encara més gran a prop de Barcelona, que té un tatuatge amb la finestra de la Sagrada Família al colze, que tindrà el seu segon fill i que ja ha matriculat el seu fill gran a l’escola, però a l’Internet aquestes coses no importen gaire. Tantmateix, Messi es queda. I no veig Suarez, i especialment Neymar, marxant aviat.

Per tant, perquè voldria Faus, un dels vice-presidents de Bartomeu, dir una estupidesa com aquesta? Ell vol ser President del FCBarcelona. Dient aquestes coses, ell fa aparéixer la directiva del club com a feble.Quina altra raó podria tenir per a dir aquesta absurditat, uns quants dies després d’aconseguir el nostre bitllet a Berlin, si no fos malmetre la campanya de Bartomeu?

Faus té la seva pròpia agenda en relació a les eleccions, i en ella no s’inclou ajudar Bartomeu. Aquest és el motiu pel qual ell ha escollit a l’atzar un diari alemany per abocar totes aquestes bestieses.Si això fos realment un avís de la directiva als afeccionats, Faus hagués parlat en un mitjà català.

Per tant, tranquils. La MSN no se’n va enlloc de moment, específicament aquest estiu, quan no podem fitxar nous jugadors.

“Ja no serem més l’equip que gasta més en salaris, això queda ara pel Chelsea i el PSG. Hem d’entendre que degut a les diferències fiscals, els jugadors de futbol comparen els seus sous amb els de la Premier League o la Bundesliga, els quals han incrementat els costos significativament. Hem hagut de gastar més en seguir sent competitius. I sí: els jugadors només marxen degut als diners. Cesc i Alexis van demanar si podien marxar per aconseguir més diners a la Premier League”

Necessita això de gaire explicació? encara ens gastem uns quants milions d’euros a l’any en salaris. El nou contracte de Messi té una progressió que li permetrà guanyar fins a 25 milions d’euros aviat. Neymat s’acaba de guanyar un increment i Suarez ha estat contractat aquest any.

Pel que fa a Cesc i Alexis: Faus és un imbècil. Ell no en sap res de futbol. Alexis ha estat venut per a fer espai per Suarez, no només a l’equip, sino perquè necessitàvem diners per a comprar Luis. Cesc fou venut en el moment en que Luis Enrique fou contractat. Lucho coneixia molt bé el comportament de Cesc, i ja fou avisat pel Tata Martino a la vora de la “poma podrida”.

“Si comparem els beneficis, som millors que el Bayern en els darrers anys. A més a més, la nostra marca és més valuosa i d’acord a Forbes estem davant el Bayern. Per tant el Bayern no és un exemple per a nosaltres. No envegem el Bayern, som un miracle genuí al món del futbol”

Podria acabar la cita, però per a què avorrir? Respecte els nostres resultats financers actuals, l’única cosa de la que aquesta junta ha estat orgullosa és de com ens vàren salvar de la fallida (una mentida que ells vàren fabricar), i vàren gestionar el club tan supremament bé que feiem diners cada any, amb guanys massius (tècnicament veritat, però amagant el fet que si no hagués estat per l’acord amb Qatar, el club estaria estancat des de 2010. L’única cosa que ells han afegit als nostres ingressos ha estat el contracte de Qatar i res més).

Per tant, imagineu la sorpresa de la Junta Directiva, uns dies després de convocar eleccions, que el nou informe de l’auditoria Deloitte mostra que el club està estancat en un deute de 485 milions d’euros durant 3 anys, i ha retornat a la posició on erem el 2007/08. La nostra distància vers els clubs més rics d’Europa està creixent, mentre PSG/City/Chelsea se’ns estan apropant.

Quan Laporta arribà a la presidència erem els 13ens en el ranking, amb uns ingressos similars als del Newcastle. En 6 anys sota el mandat Laporta, vàrem avançar el Manchester United i ens vàrem convertir en el segon club més ric del món i ingressàvem més o menys com el Real Madrid. En termes globals, el creixement vist en els 20 clubs que formen l’elit econòmica del futbol ha estat del 14%, mentre que els ingressos del FCBarcelona han MINVAT un 1% des del 2011/12, un període en el qual cadascun dels altres 4 clubs més rics han experimentat un creixement d’un 40%!

L’excusa de la Junta (sempre en tenen alguna) és que això ha succeit degut als nostres pobres resultats a la gespa. Cosa que és una absoluta bestiesa. Vàrem assolir la segona posició el 2007/8 després de no guanyar títols, cosa que demostra que no importa com ho estem fent a la gespa si existeix un pla econòmic en marxa, com va demostrar el Manchester United. Inclús encara que ells vàren acabar la darrera temporada en 7è lloc i no es vàren classificar per cap competició europea, ells han continuat creixent.

L’excusa no era gaire bona. Continuem fallant a totes les àrees.

“Pagarem els nostres deutes el 2025”

MERDA. Si planeges continuar gestionant el nostre club (però no ho faràs) deus haver oblidat la petita quantitat de 600 milions d’euros de la renovació de l’estadi que la teva junta vol fer-nos empassar gola avall.

Després d’anys d’esperes i backdealings, la Junta a aconseguit el seu somni daurat: els socis han aprovat el pla per a renovar el Camp Nou. Aquesta fou la segona victoria de Rosell & Cia després de la lliga 12-13.

Jordi Moix dirigí la campanya que el club va fer per tot Catalunya, on varen ensenyar tots els beneficis del nou estadi, mentre que viatjar per tota Catalunya per a fer això costava 3 milions d’euros. Diners del club que els socis mai varen autoritzar a la Junta a gastar d’aquesta manera. Però curiosament, la Junta només es preocupà de viatjar i fer fàcil que el SEU punt de vista fos publicitat.

Manifest Blaugrana intentà tenir una reunió al Camp nou per tal d’ensenyar als socis perquè no haurien d’aprovar el nou estadi, però el club els prohibí mostrar als socis on s’estaven ficant. Curiós, no?

“El que preocupa als socis és com ho pagarem”. Evidentment, Bartomeu. La majoria som conscients de quant havia de costar el Camp Nou originalment el 1957 i quant va acabar costant (bàsicament el doble). I vàrem haver de vendre el millor jugador del món en aquell moment, Luis Suárez, per reduir el deute. Cosa que al final no va ajudar en aquella calamitosa situació financera, i vàrem estar sense guanyar una lliga durant 14 anys.

El cost serà de 600 milions d’euros, segons Bartomeu. 420 milions per l’estadi mateix, 30 milions per l’Espai Barça, 90 pel nou Palau Blaugrana, 40 milions pel nou parking i 20 per la part urbanística.. La manera com ho pagarem, d’acord amb la Junta que digué que el preu de Neymar fou 57 milions d’€ (i punt) és: 200 milions dels fons propis del club (que fa riure, considerant que encara estem pagant el nostre deute, el deute que aquesta Junta va prometre eliminar abans de la reforma del Camp Nou); 200 miions per la venda dels drets del nom de l’estadi (cosa obscena, considerant que la única raó per la qual el nostre estadi no s’anomena Joan Gamper és perquè la dictadura de Franco no ho permeté. A banda de ser un error històric, l’estadi més gran d’Europa i un dels més vells mai serà anomenat pel nom de qualsevol marca de Qatar que la Junta vulgui posar); i els darrers 200 milions d’un nou préstec dels bancs (un altre acudit. La Junta que arribà dient que no teniem diners per a les fotocòpies en color i els sous dels jugadors assumirà ara un préstec multimilionari per a construir un estadi que actualment no necessitem?)

Ara anem a la part bona: les seves mentides.

A Barcelona no plou massa sovint. Realment molt de tant en tant. Tot i així, la Junta es manté ferma en que necessitem un estadi cobert, per ser així tant moderns com els altres d’Europa. Cosa que estaria força bé si no fos tant cara. I inútil.

“El nou estadi generarà 30 milions d’euros/any al club”, va prometre. Mai ha explicat com ha arribat a aquest nombre, i no pot garantir als socis que no hi haurà un increment en les quotes de socis.

Oh, i 10,000 socis de la primera graderia seràn moguts a qui sap on, perquè totes les noves llotges i botigues VIP necessiten espai per a fer diners!

Companyies com AEG, ISG, el grup Icon Venue i Ryder Levett Bucknall són els responsables del projecte, i tots foren contractats per Rosell.

La cosa és: la Junta mai va explicar als socis perquè aquestes companyies havien guanyat el dret d’emportar-se aquesta monumental obra de construcció. Els socis simplement no coneixen prou a la vora d’aquest projecte.

Però dels 108.858 socis amb dret a vot, només 37.535 van aparèixer per les urnes (xifra abismal, considerant que més de 81.000 persones varen assistir al partit amb el Betis d’aquell dia).

El projecte fou aprovat pel 72,36% dels votants. 27.161 socis escolliren donar a la gent que estava corcant el millor equip de la nostra història un xec per gastar 600 milions d’euros en un projecte que realment mai varen explicar. 9.589 socis, la majoria informats pels esforços fets a les xarxes socials per a fer llum a la vora d’aquesta situació, votaren No.

Unes setmanes després el club estava sent investigat per frau fiscal en el fitxatge de Neymar, i uns dies després que la FIFA ens prohibis fitxar jugadors durant un any sencer, aquesta Junta aconseguia el que més desitjava

Per tant, diguem clar el què ha succeït en aquesta data: poc més de 27.000 socis han donat llum verda a un projecte que no era realment un projecte de reforma de l’estadi, només unes maquetes, que costaran 600 milions d’euros, però no ens digueren exactament perquè varen escollir les companyies que facturaran aquest preu. I no sabem qui volen com a propietaris dels drets de nom de l’estadi tampoc. Simplement es massa poca informació donada a la vora d’una cosa tant important, una cosa que podria trencar el nostre club d’una manera que necessitariem dècades per a refer-nos.

Jordi Moix va plorar d’alegria aquell dia. Espero que cap de nosaltres plori quan es reveli qui és al darrera dels drets de nom de l’estadi i dels llaminers contractes de construcció que es signaran.

Geometry

On December 13th, 1899, the newly formed FC Barcelona had its second foundational meeting, where they decided who would be our first ever President, who would be part of our first ever board and what would be the club’s colors.
This is what they saw fit to make clear on the 3^rd paragraph of the document that summed up the meeting: “It was decided that that colors that this society will use will be the dark blue and scarlet with perpendicular stripes and on the chest Barcelona’s crest”.

5 days after our first ever match, it was decided the colors this club would use and the way the colors would be presented.

And we have superb players wearing and thriving with this shirt with perpendicular stripes. Paulino Alcatara tore up nets wearing this shirt. So did Samitier. Then Cesar. Kubala did so well we had to build the Camp Nou just to accommodate the fans that wanted to watch the Five Cups Team.
Cruijff won our first Liga in 13 years with it. Maradona tormented Real Madrid in it. So did Romário, Laudrup and Stoichkov. Guardiola became player and then captain while wearing it.

Then we saw the likes of Xavi, Puyol and Iniesta come up using it. Ronaldinho won it all while using it, along with Eto’o.

And Messi has scored over 400 goals in it, having won, more than once, each title there is to be won in European football.

We’ve won 4 European Cup titles, 23 La Liga titles… hell, 84 titles in total while wearing blaugrana perpendicular stripes.

What was decided on December 13^th, 1899, was always respected. No one even though about changing our actual, literal identity: the combination of colors and perpendicular stripes that have always made it easy to show which club we chose to love and support.

Until December 1^st, 2014. On that date, people who work from a company from Oregon showed a design that completely disrespect not only what was determined on our first ever board meeting, but over 115 years of a winning visual identity, to a FCB President no one ever voted for.
Nike sat down with Bartomeu that day, in a meeting so secretive that not even the complete FCB board was presented, and showed him that they had in mind for the 15/16 season. They presented several different models, including one inspired on our beautiful Centenary shirt.
Let’s make it clear: Nike, like they do every year, went to Barcelona with several design options that would then be chosen by FCB’s board and the marketing department.

And Bartomeu, along with his marketing department chose to disrespect 115 years of a visual identity all culers feel proud of, to sell a blaugrana shirt with parallel stripes. I’ve never been good with Geometry, but “perpendicular” has absolutely nothing to do with “parallel”; the same way “vertical” has nothing to do with “horizontal”.

So why did Bartomeu and his band of followers made such horrible call? Money.

“FCB wishes to be the club that sells the most shirts”, that’s how the Catalan media that backs each step Bartomeu makes, on January, 2015, gladly announced when the designs were leaked.
“Even though the polemics surrounding the horizontal stripes, people from the board believe it will be a huge selling hit, between other reasons because the new design will be a spectacular calling to the fans from abroad, people who don’t have sentimental or historical reasons to be against the change from vertical to horizontal stripes”.

So let’s make it clear: this board, that runs a club that has 97% of its socis in Spain, because they decided to make it virtually impossible for foreigners to become FCB socis, decided to approve an horrendous and disrespectful design because they are certain the people they do not see as good enough to be part of the club would turn us into the best shirt selling club in the world.

They think people like me, and most fans that are reading this, are not as attached to our historical values and traditions just because we aren’t actually from Catalunya or Spain. But, hey, we are good enough to pay 90 euros for an ugly ass horizontally striped shirt!

History? Tradition? Identity? Our sense of belonging? Why care about that when we could be selling more shirts than Manchester United and Real Madrid?

This shirt is this board’s crowning achievement. Sums up everything they’ve been doing since 2010. These people, first under Rosell and now under Bartomeu, ran Masia into the ground and left it in such a state we’ll soon see Barça B on the 3^rd Division; were so arrogant we are banned from signing players until January, 2016; then with the same arrogance boasted about their “financial engineering” while signing Neymar and have managed to have the club on Trial for tax fraud; sold our shirt (for only 36mi euros/season) to Qatar Sporting Ministry, the same people who are responsible for hundreds of deaths of poor workers for the 2022 World Cup; and keep getting only 35mi/year from Nike, while clubs like United and Bayern are earning 95-105mi euros/season; and, even worse, managed to have people like Pep, Abidal, Valdes and Puyol leave the club in short succession and most of them without the honors they were supposed to receive.

This was their last big FUCK YOU to every single culer out there.

They asked for fair play from the other candidates when they announced there would be elections (something that should have happened after Rosell stepped down last year), but have been campaigning every single day, with every single chance they have.
But they will lose.

Sadly, this shirt is already mass produced and we’ll be our shirt for our next season.
Nike is selling it as something “from the stands to the pitch”, trying to use the excuse that this design is based on the flags people use at the Camp Nou.
No one asked for it.
No one ever held a blaugrana flag and went: “Oh, we should have that on our shirt!”, because our identity, just as our playing style, is something we should not negotiate.
This board has disrespected this club’s history, this socis and common sense time and time again. This shirt is just the cherry on the top of all their bullshit.
But they will lose the elections in July. And we’ll start rebuilding, while having to endure a horrendous shirt, but we’ll pull through without them.
And, in 2016, while we say goodbye to this disgusting shirt, Rosell and Bartomeu might as well be using horizontal stripes of their own, if they are found indeed guilty of the tax frauds they committed while signing Neymar.
Black and white stripes.

Senyor Bullshit

Javier Faus, our financial vice-President who once said referred to Messi as “this senyor” (this gentleman), and seriously thinks about running as FCB President in July, just gave an interview to Handelsblatt: http://www.handelsblatt.com/sport/fussball/fc-barcelona-vizepraesident-verhoehnt-die-bayern-ich-moechte-nicht-vom-konzern-kontrolliert-werden/11764170.html

Since he said some stuff that will make waves on the internet, let’s kill his lying quotes:

“It will be a challenge, but we’ll avoid that Messi, Neymar and Suarez leave. But if the a club has the potential to take them from us by using their checkbook, they would take them. We have to adapt ourselves to the new market cirumstances, to the kinds of PSG and Chelsea. We can keep quiet anymore. The players have a very short professional life and are within their rights to charge what other clubs can pay them. The fact that a different club offered them more money doesn’t allow us to say “please, stay for half the money”.

Lionel Messi isn’t going anywhere. He just renewed 1 year ago and his wage progression is the best there is in football: he will soon earn over 25mi euros/year, and we can afford it. Neymar just earned his raise, and Suarez literally just arrived, but will certainly deserve it next year.
Xavi Torres, one the best journalists in Spain and really close to the Messis, said one day before Bayern came to the Camp Nou that Messi STAYS. Torres has ample access to the Messis, followed his contract renewal closely and doesn’t write only to get hits. He’s a proper journalist, with proper access.
One could even argue Messi is building a even bigger mansion in Barcelona just had a tattoo with the window of the Sagrada Familia on his elbow, will have his second kid and already enrolled his older son on school, but the internet doesn’t care about such things.
Regardless, Messi stays. And I don’t see Suarez, and especially Neymar, leaving so soon.

So why would Faus, one of Bartomeu’s vice-Presidents, say such stupidity?
He wants to run as FCB President. By saying these things, he makes our club’s management seem weak. What other reason would he have to say such absurdity, a few days after we book our trip to Berlin, if it wasn’t to damage Bartomeu’s campaign?

Faus has his own agenda regarding the elections, and it doesn’t involve helping Bartomeu. That’s why he went to some random german newspaper to spill this nonsense. If this was supposed to be a warning from the board to the fans, Faus would have spoken on Catalan media.

So, do not worry. MSN isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, especially THIS summer, when we cannot sign any players.

“We are no longer the team that spends the most on wages, it’s now Chelsea and PSG. We have to understand that due to the fiscal differences, football players keep comparing their salary with those from the Premier League or the Bundesliga, which has raised the costs significantly. We’ve had to spend more to remain competitive. And yes: the players only leave due to money. Cesc and Alexis asked if they could leave to get more money on the EPL”

Does this even need much explaning? We still spend several million euros per year on wages. Messi’s new contract has a progression rate what will allow him to earn up to 25mi euros/year very shortly. Neymar has just earned his raise and Suarez was signed this season.
Regarding Cesc and Alexis: Faus is an imbecile. He knows absolutely nothing about football. Alexis was sold to make room for Suarez, not only on the team, but also because we needed the money to buy Luis. Cesc was sold the moment Luis Enrique was signed: Lucho knew very well about Cesc’s behavior, and was warned by Tata Martino about the “rotten apple”.

“If we compare the benefits, we are better than Bayern on the last few years. Besides, our brand is more valuable and according to Forbes we are ahead of Bayern. So, no, Bayern isn’t an example to us. We do not envy Bayern, we are a genuine miracle in the world of football”

I could finish his quote, but why botter? Our actual financial results are:

The one thing this board has always being proud about, is how they saved us from bankruptcy (a lie they fabricated), and managed the club so superbly well we were making money each year, wich huge gains (technically true, but also hides the fact that if it wasn’t for they Qatar deal, the club actually has been stagnated since 2010. The only thing they’ve added to our revenues was Qatar and nothing else).
So, imagine this board’s surprise, a few days after calling for elections, that the new Deloitte report showed the club has been stagnated at 485mi euros for 3 years, and returned to the position we were on 2007/08. Our distance to the richest clubs in Europe is growing, while PS/City/Chelsea are getting closer and closer to us.
When Laporta took over in 2003, we were 13th on the same ranking, with a revenue similer to Newcastle’s. In 6 years under Laporta’s rule, we overcame Manchester United and became the 2nd richest club on Earth and earned about the same Real Madrid did.
In global terms, the growth seen on the 20 clubs the form the economic elite has been of 14%, while FCB’s revenues have actually DECREASED 1% since 2011/12, a period in each the other 4 richest clubs have seen a growth of 40%!

The board’s excuse (they always have one), is that this has been happening due to our recent poor performances on the pitch. Which is utter nonsense.
We reached the second position in 2007/08 after winning no titles whatsoever, which shows that it doesn’t matter how we are doing on the pitch if there is an actual enomic plan in place, as Manchester United has showed. Even though they finished their last season in 7th and didn’t qualify for any European competition, they have kept growing.
They excuse was not good enough. We keep failing on all areas.

“We’ll pay our debts by 2025”

BULLSHIT. If you are planning on staying on managing our club (but you won’t), you must have forgotten the little 600mi euros stadium renovation your board want to shove down our throats:

After years of expectation and backdealings, the board got their golden prize: the socis approved the plan to renew the Camp Nou. This was Rosell’s & Co second big victory after the 12-13 La Liga title.
Jordi Moix led the campaign the club held throughout Catalunya, where the showed all the benefits of the new stadium, while travelling around and spending 3 million euros while doing it. Money from the club that the socis never authorized the board to use in such manner. And, curiously, the board only cared about travelling and making it easy so THEIR point of view would be noticed.
Manifest Blaugrana tried to hold a meeting at the Camp Nou so they could show the socis why they shouldn’t approve the new stadium, but the club forbade them for letting socis know about it as they were entering. Curious, huh?
“What the socis are worried about is how we are gonna pay for it”. Obviously, Bartomeu. Most of us are well aware how much the Camp Nou was originally gonna cost in 1957, and how much it ended up costing (basically the double). And we had to sell the best player on the world back then, Luis Suarez, to help the debt. Which didn’t really help, and we were in such a dire financial situation, we didn’t win a League title for 14 years.
600 million euros is gonna be the cost, according to Bartomeu.
420mi for the stadium itself, 30mi for Espai Barça, 90mi for the new Palau Blaugrana, 40mi for the new parking and 20mi for the urbanistic part. The way were are gonna pay, all according to the board who said Neymar’s price was 57mi (period), is: 200mi from the club’s own funds (which us hilarious, considering we are still paying our debt, the debt this board promised to clear before we reformed the Camp Nou); 200mi from selling the naming rights (which is obscene, considering the only reason our stadium is named after Joan Gamper is because the Franco Dictatorship wouldn’t allow it. Apart from being a historical error, the biggest stadium in Europe and one of the oldest ones will never actually be called by whatever Qatar brand this board wants to place there); and the last 200mi from a new loan with the banks (another joke. The board who arrived saying we didn’t even have money to pay for color copies and players’ wages will now take up multi-million euros loans to build a stadium we don’t actually need right now?).
Now, to the good part: their lies.
It rains very rarely in Barcelona. As in very, very rarely. Yet, the board is adamant we need a covered stadium, so we are as modern as other European ones. Which would be great, if it wasn’t so expensive. And useless.
“The new stadium will generate 30mi euros/year to the club!”, he promised. Didn’t explain how they came up with the exact number, and couldn’t guarantee to socis there isn’t going to be an increase on the yearly fees so we can actually pay for it all!
Oh, and 10.000 socis from the first tier will be moved to someplace else, because all the new VIP boxes and shops need space to make us money!
Companies like ISG, AEG, Icon Venue Group and Ryder Levett Bucknall are responsible for the project, and were all hired by Rosell.
The thing is: the board never explained to socis why these companies have earned the right to get this monumental construction work. The socis simply do not know enough about this project.
But, out of the 108.858 socis that could have voted, only 37.535 showed up (which is abysmal, considering over 81.000 people attended the Betis match on the Camp Nou on the same day).
The project was approved by 72,36% of those who voted. 27.161 socis chose to give the people who were slowly eating away at our best ever team a check to spend 600mi euros in a project they didn’t really explain. 9.589 socis, most of those informed by the efforts made in social media to enlighten the situation, voted No.
A few weeks after the club was being investigated for fiscal fraud on the Neymar signing, and a few days after FIFA had banned us from signing players for a whole year, this board was getting exactly what they wanted the most.

So let make it clear what happened on that date: over 27.000 socis gave  the go ahead to a project that wasn’t really a project of the reformed stadium just “mock ups”, which will cost 600mi euros, but they didn’t tell us exactly why they chose the companies that are charging this exact price. And we don’t know who they want as the naming rights owner, too. It’s simply too little info given about something so important, something that could make or break our club in a way we would need decades to recover from.

Jordi Moix cried of happiness that day. I hope none of us cry when it’s revealed who is behind  the naming rights and sweet construction contracts who will be signed.