Sala: "Rosell wants to sell us a product"

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


You can count on the support of the club. Does that make you the favourites ahead of the elections?
Sala i Martín: I don't think that Alfons is the candidate to beat because he is in power. We will not use power for personal gain. What does give us an advantage is that we have done a good job. Since this board is in power, the club has won 11 major trophies. Between I was born and I reached the age of 23, we only won one league. The one of Cruyff in 1973-1974. Now, the team is playing in an out of this world way. The global image of the club is excellent and we have followers in every corner of the planet. The other candidates will have to explain which of these 11 cups they do not like.

The silence of Sandro Rosell makes you feel uncomfortable?
Sala i Martín: No, no. I guess that when you do not talk that is because you have little to say. I suppose he has a program. But what exactly is he going to change? I think that he is trying to invent a product. He is an expert in marketing, he wants to sell us a product, but it will be difficult. He will have to tell us what he wants to change and why he wants that.

Do you understand then that the club member idolizes the figure of Rosell?
Sala i Martín: What I do know is that since he has not explained anything, nobody can criticize him. What is exactly his project? I insist. We have eleven trophies. Which one doesn't he like? That he explains that to me. And the day he does, we will be able to discuss about ideas. He hasn't explained what he wants. He shows up at councils, twitter sessions,... And every time he appears he says he doesn't talk about Barça. He organizes big events to show how popular he is, but he only talks about the time when he worked at Mirurgia [company that sells beauty products and perfumes], when he was looking for a job and so on... But not about Barça. While the club member has the right to hear about that. So I ask him: "Which one of these trophies don't you like?"

With a view to the election campaign, could there be difficulties in a one-on-on sporting debate with him? Rosell is a sports enthusiast.
Godall: Not at all.

Are you specifically preparing yourself for that?
Godall: Oh well, I'm more than prepared, just like Xavier. My football formation is limited to having seen Barça playing for many years. My father is a club member since the days of Les Corts [barcelona stadium between 1922 and 1957]. I went to the Camp Nou in shorts. And I know the stadium very well... I inherited the season-ticket of my mother, who passed away in the year 1986.
Sala i Martín: I was a member until I moved to the United States. And then I again became a member in 2003. I had my seat at the south goal, in the corner, right where you could not see the old electronic scoreboard. I was a member of Barça until 1985 and I inherited the season-ticket of my uncle. I even went to the Basel final [european cup winners's cup in 1979, barcelona-fortuna dusseldorf 4-3] without telling my parents. I have my season-ticket of that time signed by Rexach.

So there is no fear at all then in the face of a televised debate?
Godall: I look forward to them. I think I am quite capable of talking about Barça's future as a member in front of whoever the other candidates will be. And then another thing. I will not talk about football with Sandro. Because I am going to propose to the member a model that will be led by people who do know something about football. Sandro Rosell knows as much about football as you, as me, as anyone who has played in teams like Sant Andreu or Sants [local catalan teams], as I believe is his case. But he didn't win any Champions League, not as a coach, not as a player, not as a sports director and not as a vice-president, because he left even before we achieved all this.
Sala i Martín: If Sandro Rosell or whoever knows a lot about football and thinks that they can go out there and sign players because he knows them and so on... In that case we would make a mistake. That era is over at Barça. And regarding discussions about football, I'm sure that Sandro doesn't know more about it than Alfons.
Godall: Nor than you.
Sala i Martín: To have worked at Nike obviously gives you a great experience, as you can also get by selling shirts.

Would you accept Soriano as the leader of the continuity candidacy, with you, Mr. Godall, as the number two?
Godall: My only hypothesis is leading a bid for the presidency. But I'm open to talk with him.
Sala i Martín: The key date for Barcelona isn't 13 June, but 1 July. The day the new board starts. We have already experienced good times that have ended in disaster because things weren't done in a right way. Winning the elections and doing a bad job would be the worst thing that could happen to the club. Imagine that. That in six years from now we would be accused of having destroyed the great Barça of the Six Cups. That would be the worst thing.

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

interview: francisco cabezas - amadeu garcia

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

The Pundit: Salvador Sostres on candidacy Sala

« Laporta preferred Xavier Sala i Martín as board candidate but many told him: 'The problem of Xavier is that he's too smart for the club member of Barça'. The president insisted for a while but in the end the rule of mediocrity was imposed. »

Salvador Sostres,
El Mundo

check more pundit talk

Godall: "I want Cesc to return home"

Barcelona first vice-president Alfons Godall gave an interview to Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo.


Barça may one day become a joint stock company?
I think that would mean losing a great value that differentiates us. At certain times it was believed that we had a handicap since we had to compete against clubs that are joint stock companies and might even be listed on the stock market abroad. But it has been proven that it's not the case. This characteristic gives us more freedom and value. How many Premier League fans would give anything to regain the status of partners? They'd give anything for that. The economic viability of a club doesn't depend on its legal structure.

Do you have to requalify the Miniestadi zone in order to modernize the Camp Nou?
Some major works of great economic value has to be done. Therefore, either with the Foster project or with a cheaper one, it will be difficult to pay a remodelling of this magnitude without selling. It's not only about a new Camp Nou, but also about a new Palau [home to the basketball, handball, roller hockey, and futsal sections], which has become completely outdated.

Have you hinted that a more modest project is possible?
Yes. We feel that the process at the city council is taking longer than expected and that the requirements are becoming abusive. Against this background, we have to think about whether the reclassification we're looking at will make it possible to pay the remodelling we are talking about.

Barça is running a high risk by not having a bank guarantee for the television contract?
No, because there are some clauses in the contract that allow us to recover the rights almost immediately. The television rights of Barça are worth far more than we're receiving and in addition each year we get paid 40% in advance. Madrid, on the other hand, does have a bank guarantee but it's the club that should pay the cost of the guarantee and that's a lot of money. In fact, it's as if they're getting two or three millions less.

Will you maintain the prices of the season-tickets if you become president?
We will update them according to the consumer price index and if that's negative, we will also review them downwards.

Do you have the feeling that the fan clubs are satisfied?
It's an issue that touches me directly [godall is responsible for the social area]. There are more fan clubs than ever and there are more services for them than ever. We have the feeling that we have made a lot of progress, but, and the same goes for the club members, we still have to make a lot more.

Let’s talk about the sports area. When do you think that Guardiola should decide his future?
For me things are very clear. I'm in favour of giving him all the tranquillity he needs so that he can do his job without pressure and without having to keep an eye on his renewal. I believe it is essential that he can work comfortably. When the time is there, we will talk to him and offer him the working conditions, which will be those that he thinks can allow him to keep on doing his excellent work at Barça, either as a coach or with other responsibilities.

In which role do you see him?
I see him in the role in which he thinks he can do most for Barça.

If he wants to have absolute powers, will he get them?
Yes, but I am in favour of the current model and this, in principle, means maintaining the coexistence of the sport director and the coach, and therefore he could do one thing or the other.

But you are in favour of keeping Txiki. Or not?
Until the end of the term he is our sports director. As part of the talks on the future of the club, we also will have to know what Txiki would like to do in the future.

The six titles were also partly due to luck?
The truth is that none of us would have imagined that we would have been able to win them all, but we had total belief in Guardiola from the first day because we had seen him at the second team.

If you become president, which player would you like to sign?
Well, there's one player who we all would like to see coming home. I am referring to Cesc. He is a player that is made by and for Barça, although I'm speaking as a fan here.

There seems to be unanimity about his transfer among the candidates. Will he be crucial in the elections?
I talked for my own account, but the decision will be made by the coaches. I can say that there will be money for the transfers they will ask us, but I understand that with the current squad few changes will be needed.

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

Read more:
The five vice-presidents of Godall
Poll result: Who should be the next president?
Godall: "Laporta is like a brother to me"

interview: roger torelló