New Challenges Facing FC Barcelona President Bartomeu.

Well, elections just came and went and it was no surprise that in the end, Josep Maria Bartomeu was elected to become president of FC Barcelona again. However, even though the club is fresh of the heels of their successful treble campaign from last season, Bartomeu has many challenges that have to be properly dealt with.

The first of many challenges facing Bartomeu is that he is currently facing tax fraud charges stemming from the Neymar transfer debacle. The transfer has been under scrutiny for the way money was exchanged in the whole process. This controversy is what caused Sandro Rosell to resign and appoint Bartomeu as his successor. Barça already had to deal with one president resigning in Rosell and cannot have Bartomeu do the same thing when his tax fraud case gets too hot for him. For his sake, he needs to win that case or else Barça members and fans risk seeing another president step down and appoint another person as his successor instead of calling for elections. Presidents are supposed to be elected, not hand selected by their predecessors as they resign and walk away.

The second challenge facing Bartomeu is what to do what about the shirt sponsor. The Rosell-Bartomeu regime had no issues continuing with the Qatar sponsor on the team’s shirt. People will say it’s Qatar Foundation or Qatar Airlines, and not Qatar. True, but Qatar is run by a monarchy and Qatar Foundation and Qatar Airlines are their creations which they have a hand in operating. The fact is that Barça should have received more from Qatar, compared to other clubs’ sponsorship deals, since they are not only on the shirt, but they also have their name on the seats on the Camp Nou, the outer walls of the Camp Nou while also using images of Barça players on their advertising which is outrageous. The club is one of the best in the world and should be getting a better financial deal from a sponsor than what they have right now.

Besides obtaining a better lucrative deal, the club should get a sponsor that is also not tainted. Qatar Airways have a poor reputation for their sexiest guidelines towards their female flight attendants and a recent online petition has garnered over 40,000 signatures asking for the club to drop them as a sponsor. The club is also aligned with the Qatar Foundation that has had imams who preach hate on their premises. One praised the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris as “the sequel to the comedy film of 9/11” while another claimed that “Jews and their helpers must be destroyed.” Furthermore, there have been reports that Qatar is best source of financial support for ISIS which does not bode well for the image of the club. Let’s not forget how many migrants workers have been mistreated and died because of the World Cup stadiums construction in Qatar too. Is that what we want to see our players and fans represent when they put on the Barça jersey with Qatar Airways stuck on it for the world to see?

Bartomeu at least realized his mistake when Barça went with horizontal stripes on the current home shirt for this season. The backlash against that design made Bartomeu promise that next season’s home shirts will be replicas of the 1992 European Cup shirt. The problem is that he went against the vertical stripes that have been part of this club’s history in the first place and did not realize what backlash it would create is disturbing to say the least. He has to ensure that the club never abandons its values and heritage.

Furthermore, a big challenge that Bartomeu must resolve is the state of Barça B and the La Masia in general. The Rosell-Bartomeu regime inherited one of the strongest B teams of all time, along with a very good youth academy which they mismanaged. For the past few years, we have seen good players not fully develop, but instead regress or leave the club. It’s not just the players, but good youth managers leaving La Masia has impacted the club. Oscar Garcia and Sergi are two managers who should have had bigger roles with the youth academy and perhaps coaching Barça B, but instead, are no longer part of the club. Eusebio as Barça B manager never won over the fans with his style of play that seemed more concerned about results and keeping his team up over improving his players. He’s gone but the damage was done and Barça B were relegated this season which will surely hamper the development of many players who will probably have to be loaned out to gain enhanced experience.

Bartomeu named former Barça youth and first team player, Gerard Lopez, as the new Barça B manager. He is faced with the tall task of getting the B team promoted again. Sure, he follows in the footsteps of Guardiola and Luis Enrique as someone who does not have managerial experience while taking over the B team. Guardiola worked his magic and got them promoted from the fourth division to the third division and Luis Enrique took over and won promotion to the second division before departing. Lopez though is inheriting a mess of a team where some of the B team players might be sent out on loan instead of playing in the third division. Also, there are younger players who were supposed to be potential B team starlets but are heading elsewhere for better experience and opportunity. Pep Seguru will be in charge of the youth setup and he appointed Franc Garcia Pimient, the man many wanted to be Barça B’s next manager, as Gerard’s assistant, which is a step in the right direction. Hopefully, it will be enough. Not every player from La Masia will make it but the club needs to ensure players like Adama, Samper and Grimaldo who are talented enough to be on the cusp of playing for the first team do make it and not ignore or worse, discard them.

A major issue with this regime seems to be their interest in buying players and ignoring the players that came through the ranks. There is concern that this regime is following the blueprint of Florentino Perez’s Galacticos era at Real Madrid. Real Madrid were very successful in the mid 80’s thanks to their “La Quinta del Buitre” players who came through the youth setup and featured for the first team. Five consecutive La Liga titles and two UEFA Cups came from that era and perhaps it was no coincidence that the team that knocked them off their perch was Barça’s “Dream Team” that was coached by Cruyff who relied on a mix on veterans and players from the academy.

When La Liga dropped its three foreign players rule in the latter part of the 90’s, both Madrid and Barça lost their ways and began focusing more on buying foreign players than nurturing their youth teams. Sure, Madrid and Barça saw the occasional youth player get promoted to their first team such as Xavi, Iker Casillas, Puyol, Raul, Iniesta, Guti and Victor Valdés but both clubs seemed interested in trying to buy the best. It worked out for a while for Madrid when they won three Champions League titles between 1998 and 2002. However, it would take them another 12 years to win their tenth Champions League title while struggling to overcome their bitter Blaugrana rivals along with scarcely promoting players from their academy to the first team. The short term success did not pay off in the long run.

After the election of Joan Laporta in 2003, things changed in Barcelona. The Cruyff era of football returned and the youth academy began to shape up better. Suddenly, the likes of Messi, Oleguer, Bojan, Busquets, Pedro , Jeffren, Thiago, and Rafinha along with buying back former youth players such as Pique and Jordi Alba, began to feature with the first team and helped guide them to four Champions League titles in a decade. With the likes of La Masia graduates of Valdés, Puyol and Xavi, it was common to see a Barça starting eleven featuring a majority of La Masia graduates.

Nonetheless, out of the last four Champions League trophies, this recent one featured the fewest La Masia graduates. Puyol and Valdés were gone, while Xavi was on the bench with the likes of Bartra, Montoya, Rafinha and Sergi Roberto. Barça invested heavily in the likes of Neymar, and Suarez which paid off immensely last season, but the club also signed the likes of Vermaelen and Douglas when they already had Bartra and Montoya available. Montoya already left this summer and there is concern than Rafinha might contemplate his future after the recent signing of Arda Turan with Pogba also rumored to be another signing down the road. This is a telltale sign for La Masia players who must be questioning whether they have a future at this club if the club will keep buying players.

An indication on how bad things have gotten with La Masia is the fact that the current Spain U-19 team does not contain a single Barça player. That team just won the 2015 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. There was a time when La Masia players were representing the Spanish national team on all levels. Yet, we are now witnessing far less of them feature for their club and as a result, hardly get called up for the national team.

Now Barça did sign Aleix Vidal, another former La Masia pupil, but Montoya was already loaned out to Inter this summer. What will happen to the likes of Bartra and Rafinha? Will Barça continue to pay for foreign imports and ignore their youth like Real Madrid have been doing? That is a costly mistake both on paper and on the field. The backbone of this club’s success has always been driven by the presence of players climbing through the ranks and it cannot be ignored or neglected just because the club spent a lot of money on buying players and won a treble. As the old saying goes, “never forget your roots” which means Bartomeu cannot allow the B team to languish in the third division or allow La Masia to further regress.

Additionally, this regime of spending has its flaws. Rosell resigned when it appeared there were some irregularities in the Neymar transfer and now both he and Bartomeu are facing tax fraud charges for that transfer. Bartomeu has to end this run of attracting law suits from club members and from the government. The Neymar transfer scandal and the FIFA transfer ban, along with their failed lawsuit against Laporta and his board, has already tarnish the club and Bartomeu needs to distance the club from the legal system.

It’s not just football that has been affected under this regime, but the basketball team has also regressed recently. FC Barcelona’s basketball team was once one of the top four teams in Europe and won the Euroleague in Laporta’s final season as president. Again, Rosell-Bartomeu regime inherited a strong basketball team, managed by the legendary coach Xavi Pascual and won back to back league titles along with one Copa del Rey in the beginning. However, Real Madrid have knocked Barça off their perch by winning two of the last three recent league titles and by defeating Barça in the last two Copa del Rey finals while also defeating Barça in the last three Spanish Supercopas. Meanwhile, Madrid has played in the last three consecutive Euroleague Finals while Barça has not made it back to a final since 2010. What’s worse is that this season, Madrid won the treble in basketball by defeating Barça in the league and Copa del Rey finals while also capturing the Euroleague. Coach Pascual is an amazing coach but he needs help and the club needs to help him by signing better players and improving the youth setup.

Finally, the president has to ensure the club is protected from attacks from outside the club and never allow the club to attack its own players. The incident where Faus made statements about Messi should never happen again. The man deserves better than that. However, the club also needs to defend its players from whatever false and frivolous attacks from the media. It’s true that players, especially Messi, should have a PR team ready to step up if such a situation occurs, but the club should always be ready to there to defend the player, and also their fans.

So yes, Barça won the treble, however, Bartomeu cannot get blinded with the short term shine of last season’s trophies and ignore the long term vision of this club.  I have quoted George Santayana before but this quote regarding progress is impossible to ignore when it comes to discussing FC Barcelona. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” As a director, Vice-President and President of FC Barcelona, Bartomeu has witnessed and experienced many things that one can only hope will ensure previous mistakes by former Barça and Real Madrid presidents will not be repeated under his watch.

Barça’s Unethical Signing of Arda Turan.

Arda Turan’s signing by Barça is yet another unprofessional and unethical move by Bartomeu of not respecting club rules. His selected Managing Committee exceeded their powers when they signed Arda Turan. The continuous sneaky and blatant disregard of rules has become a pattern with Josep Maria Bartomeu and one only has to fear what lies ahead if he is elected in the upcoming Barça presidential elections.

With Barça capturing the treble for an unprecedented second time, it was time for me to take a break, and enjoy the summer with a move to Florida along with Copa America and Gold Cup action before thinking of the next Barça season. However, with the Barça presidential candidates finally being announced, it was hard not to pay attention again to the on-goings in Barcelona.

Promises are usually made by candidates on who will be signed if they are elected. However, the fact that the club’s Managing Committee was able to sign Arda Turan during elections is preposterous. Only one candidate wanted Arda Turan, after failing miserably in getting Pogba, and suddenly that player was signed by the club under the guise of necessity. That candidate is none other than Josep Maria Bartomeu.

The functions of the Managing Committee are defined under Article 35.4 of the club’s statutes as the following:

“The Managing Committee will perform all governmental, administrative and representative functions that are normally attended to by the Board of Directors. It shall limit its acts to those that are necessary and essential in order to maintain the club’s regular activities and to protect the club’s interests.”

Throughout the years, we have had numerous presidential elections, yet I have never seen a Managing Committee overreach its powers and sign or sell a player during this period. Since when did it become necessary and essential for the club to sign a player when elections are just right around the corner? The club’s regular activities and protecting club’s interests seems pretty basic to me. Make sure that the employees f the club are getting their paychecks and also make sure the bills get paid on time so the power is not turned off at the Camp Nou. Anything else can wait until a new president is elected.

The fact that this signing took place is not a surprise when it was Bartomeu who hand selected the Managing Committee. Sure, the transfer included a return policy that will cost the club a few million euros if the new president refuses to honor this deal which makes it possible to revoke this deal but is it worth the cost? The excuse that Luis Enrique wanted this player does not carry much weight. If that is what he wanted, then wait till a new president is elected before asking for the player to be signed. This deal seemed forced since Arda and Atlético did not appear to impatient in waiting for Barça to make this move, so why make this move so quickly? This is so shady but then again, we have become accustomed to shadiness these past few years under Rosell and now Bartomeu.

Meet the 5 FC Barcelona Presidential Candidates.

The paperwork has been submitted and the signatures have been collected. The five men will be running in the FC Barcelona Presidential Elections on July 18, 2015 will be Bartomeu, Laporta, Benedito, Freixa, and Cuberta.

Bartomeu, Laporta, Benedito, Freixa, and Cuberta are the names we will be hearing about for the next 11 days. Four of the Five worked together once and two former presidents will face one another in this month’s elections. The first debate took place yesterday with all the candidates except Bartomeu, being present to explain their platforms. Here are your candidates:

Joan Laporta

Mr. Laporta is a former president who saw one of the greatest eras in club history in not just football, but other sports as well, will be running again. The attorney and former politician first came on the Blaugrana scene during the 1997 FC Barcelona presidential elections as part of Àngel Fernández’s group and a year later, he was a member of the “Elefant Blau” opposition group of then Barça president Josep Lluis Nunez. Laporta would then be part of Lluis Bassat's team in 2000 where they would lose to Joan Gaspart in the elections. In 2003, Laporta won the Barça presidential elections and would remain as president until 2010, surviving a vote of no confidence in the process. Three of the other candidates running in this election were part of his board After leaving Barça, he entered the political world by becoming a member of the Catalan Parliament as an MP and as an advisor. However he is now gunning for another term as Barça’s president. He does come with some baggage since he is known for being an arrogant blowhard  at times at times along with incidents such as the Uzbekistan case, spying over directors case and being sued by the previous board over financial irregularities. However, he was never found guilty of any wrongdoing in the end.

Josep Maria Bartomeu

Mr. Bartomeu is the most recent president of FC Barcelona after stepping down following the conclusion of this season that saw Barça capture the treble. He was selected as the next Barça president by previous president Sandro Rosell when he resigned in 2014. A businessman, he is a member and advisor of two businesses: Adelte Group and Equipo Facility Services. He was a member of Laporta’s regime where he was responsible for the basketball and handball teams from 2003 to 2005 before parting ways after being replaced as director of the basketball team by resigning with Sandro Rosell and Toni Freixa. In 2010, he would return to Barça under Sandro Rosell as sporting vice-president, before taking over as the president of the club in January 2014 after the resignation of Sandro Rosell. He also comes with some baggage such as his handling of the youth players FIFA case that resulted in FIFA Transfer ban and it was under his watch that Barça B suffered relegation while the basketball team has struggled to overthrow Real Madrid as the best in Spain, the failed lawsuit against the previous board over financial irregularities, and being charged, along with Sandro Rosell, with alleged tax fraud regarding the signing of Neymar that could lead to a prison sentence.

Agusti Benedito

Mr. Benedito is a former Barça presidential candidate who is running for the position yet again. Just like Laporta, the businessman first came on the scene during the 1997 presidential campaign of Angel Fernandez and then was part of the founding members of 'Elefant Blau'. After selling part of his business conglomerate, he became a manager and advisor within his family businesses. Just like Bartomeu, he was a member of Laporta’s team during the 2003 elections and was involved with the of the Sports Commission and Social Commission of the club until he resigned in February 2009 following a disagreement with Laporta over the 'Uzbekistan case' which linked then president Laporta with the sale of RCD Mallorca to a Barcelona client. He ran in the 2010 Barça elections and finished second to Sandro Rosell.

Toni Freixa

Mr. Freixa, is former board member of presidents Joan Laporta, Sandro Rosell and most recently, Josep Maria Bartomeu and is now running for the first time for the presidency. An attorney and law professor, he has been involved with Barça elections in the past. He volunteered during the campaign of Lluis Bassat during the 2000 elections, which Joan Laporta was a member of that group. Three years later, he was part of Joan Laporta’s board after the latter became president. He was a member of the club’s Disciplinary Commission from 2005 till 2005 before resigning from the board along with Sandro Rosell and Bartomeu. He was part of the Sandro Rosell team for the 2010 Barça elections and was a club secretary and spokesperson until he was stripped of those duties by Bartomeu in February 2014. Even though he did not have a role with the board, he remained a member until this summer.

Seguiment FCB ‘s Joan Batiste Cuberta

Mr. Cuberta is the visible face the Barça fan group, Seguiment FCB, who have promoted various ideas through social network in order to improve the club. Not much is known of Mr. Cuberta however, the group began as a Facebook Group known as 'Monitoring of the requests for Barcelona tickets' because of the problems faced by Barça fans regarding travelling for games. This became a fundamental part of their manifesto and gained them 3000 followers/members. Furthermore,  one of the two fundamental points for Seguiment FCB involve having an agency for travelling fans whereby proposing the creation of a travel agents that puts the needs of the fans ahead of economic interests. Another pillar of their campaign is an atmosphere stand to improve the atmosphere at the Camp Nou during matches and also taking this stand to away Barça's games too.

Treblelicious Barça Conquer All.

What a way to bring down the curtains on FC Barcelona’s career. Chaos and confusion in January had us all thinking that this season was going down the drain. Yet, here we are celebrating an unprecedented second treble by Barça. Credit goes to the manager, his staff and the players for regrouping and working together to find glory.

Barça were the phoenix this season after arising from the ashes and sitting atop of the world. It seemed that this season was heading to a disappointing end and now, Barça won the treble for the second time in history. With the exception of Barça, no other team in Spain has won the treble and now, they have accomplished that feat twice.  

2014 was an ugly year for the players and the club. They lost Tito Vilanova to cancer and went trophyless for the first time since Rijkaard’s final year. The World Cup was painful for both Spain and Argentina. Real Madrid seemed like an unstoppable force at the end of December but in 2015, Barça found their mojo and ended up winning it all while Madrid lost theirs and never recovered.

Like I have mentioned on here over the years, “it’s not how you start; but how you finish.” Well, the Blaugrana and Madrid proved that was the case this season. While the Blaugrana aired out their differences in January and worked as a team for the same goal, Madrid seemed to be tired, injured and not hitting all cylinders with some unhappy players. The end result was the Blaugrana hoisting the cups while Madrid went home empty handed.

So credit goes out to Luis Enrique and his staff for having the team in shape, which was a concern last season. Furthermore, Luis Enrique knowing that this is a partnership, and not a dictatorship, was also key for this team’s success. He could have ignored the players’ demands but instead, they worked together and the rest is history. Football history!

Next season will be tougher for the Blaugrana with the target back on their backs. However, it’s too early to think about next season. Enjoy the titles, the upcoming elections and Copa America action. Congratulations fans. Visca Barça!

Why Luis Figo Running For FIFA President Made Sense.

It was interesting when Luis Figo announced his candidacy to run for FIFA president before withdrawing right before the elections. At first, the idea that this guy wanting to run for FIFA president seemed absurd. Then it hit me; he seemed perfect for the role of FIFA president. His career has been full of lies and shady deals in his pursuit of wealth and happiness. Without a doubt, Figo had the current qualities to be the next FIFA president.

Utter the name Luis Figo to Barça fans and their face will be full of anger and disgust in a nanosecond. His status from king to traitor still causes resentment from the Blaugrana faithful. My reaction whenever I look back at his betrayal is that of disappointment. Life is too short to be angry at a player forever. I still get some raised eyebrows from other Barça fans when I consider Figo’s performance for the Blaugrana as legendary. However, he will never be officially recognized by the club or fans, including myself, as a legend.

There is no denying that Figo was an extraordinary player for Barça. He appeared in 249 matches for Barça in all competitions and scored 45 goals while winning two league titles, two Copa del Reys, the UEFA Super Cup, and the defunct UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup. He plied his craft as a right-sided midfielder who was strong, quick and possessed amazing accuracy with his crosses. Defenders feared his dangerous runs while goalkeepers feared his powerful shots. Already a star in Spain, his performance for Portugal during Euro 2000 made him a worldwide star. A few months later, he would win the Ballon d’Or… as a Real Madrid player.

For many of us Barça fans, we were looking forward to the 2000-2001 season. We were finally going to see the end of the era of Josep Lluís Núñez as Barça president that had spanned over two decades thanks to elections. Barça finished second in the league standings, while Real Madrid finished fifth. Barça reached the UEFA Champions League Semi-Finals before getting eliminated by Valencia, who would lose in the final to Real Madrid. They also reached the Semi-Finals of the Copa del Rey before being eliminated, or disqualified, for failure to appear for the second leg against Atlético Madrid. At the time, FIFA friendlies were taking place but RFEF still insisted that these matches go on even though Barça were depleted of their players who were away playing for their countries. Furthermore, the rule that only three youth players could be called up meant Barça could not make up the difference with additional youth players, and were ousted. With a new president, a new manager to replace van Gaal, and with the likes of Rivaldo, Figo, Kluivert, Luis Enrique and other superb players, there were high hopes that the club was heading in the right direction. Then it happened!

Out of nowhere, Barça fans were caught by surprise of talk that Figo could leave the club. During June 2000, there were rumors of Lazio trying to sign Figo. Lazio were going to pay Barça £32 million, and also offered Argentine international Juan Sebastian Veron in return as part of the deal. Thankfully that deal never went down, however, we were sucker punched when we heard that Figo could be going to Real Madrid during that summer. Real Madrid were also holding presidential elections and one candidate, Florentino Perez, promised the fans Luis Figo if he was elected. At first, we thought this was a joke and laughed it off. The laughter though slowly morphed into a nervous chuckle and little did we know that we would later witness Figo’s fine performance as a liar.

In the initial stages of this saga, Figo insisted he wanted to stay at the Camp Nou. He stated, “I have said it and I repeat it – my desire is to remain in Barcelona where I feel well, where my family is happy. These are important elements for me.” We believed him. Even Joan Gaspart, who would go on to win the Barcelona presidential elections, remarked, “No way are we going to let him leave Barcelona.” The guy was our captain. Perhaps we should have realized we were being fooled when he referred to himself in the third person. “Luis Figo hasn’t signed a contract with anyone, not with Florentino Perez, nor with Lazio,” said Figo before stating, “I have made an irrevocable decision: I will not be a Real Madrid player whoever wins the elections.”

Of course, we know what happened next. Both Perez and Gaspart won their respective elections and Figo joined the arch enemy after finalizing a £37.5 million transfer to Real Madrid. Figo got what he wanted and in the process blamed the club for his departure. Somehow, it was Barça’s fault that he left and said, ‘They (Barca officials) did not want a dialogue. They thought only of the club and I thought only of myself”. Fans were furious that their beloved captain lied to them and joined the arch enemy. The animosity was so bad that the club even offered fans a free service of removing Luis Figo’s name from any Barça shirt that they owned.

The rest, as they say, is history. Figo became one of the most hated rival players in history and on one occasion, was greeted with a pig’s head at the Camp Nou. His act of betrayal would be one that would endure over the years and was very unlikely to wane with time. It was not that difficult for the animosity to linger because we kept hearing different stories, excuses, or lies from Figo in the aftermath that all but verified that our disgust with Figo was justified.

Figo’s act of betrayal and his subsequent lies are what made him a proper candidate for the FIFA presidency. The 2000 October issue of BBC Match of the Day Magazine * described this saga in detail. Just 10 days before signing with Real Madrid, Figo posed in a Barça shirt and said “I make a pledge to all the Barcelona fans who have taken me to their hearts over the last five years. I will never betray them and join Real Madrid.” That article also referred to Figo as “the captain and king of the city” which was true and which made his betrayal even more difficult to stomach. We hate him so much because we loved him so much.

The article also explained that Figo’s contract with Barça contained a £37.5 Million buyout clause specifically for Spanish clubs and £75 million for foreign clubs. However, it was Figo, and not Real Madrid, who paid the buyout clause to Barça, after Real Madrid handed him the money. Thus, money was never exchanged between Real Madrid and Barça; Figo merely bought his way out. This, from a man who made a pledge to Barça fans that he would never join Madrid.

The same article also mentioned Figo’s greed. During that same summer, he had demanded a pay raise from Barça; just 12 months after signing a new deal that saw him earn £70,000 in weekly wages which was double of what he was previously earning. Also, when it came to shadiness, Figo was one of the best. Just five years prior to this saga, Figo somehow had signed two separate contracts with Parma and Juventus, which saw him join the Blaugrana instead, after he was barred from going to any Italian clubs.

A year after his move to the arch enemy, the defunct Champions League magazine †, not to be confused with the UEFA Champions Matchday magazine, interviewed Figo about his transfer. Here is what he had to say.

Speaking of circumstances, which ones made you leave Barcelona, where you were a hero?
I felt they weren’t giving me the treatment I deserved. I was always honest with the club. I received several offers from foreign teams and I informed the front office. I wanted the club to appreciate me more, according to my performances. I considered that if any club was willing to pay a lot of money for me and offer a much better contract. Barça should improve my contractual terms correspondingly. I spoke several times with then president Josep Luis Nunez to explain my situation. But he only said he couldn’t do anything because he had called elections and he wouldn’t stand.

Were you expecting Florentino Perez to beat Lorenzo Sanz, the president of the team that had won two Champions League titles in the last three years, in the election?
I don’t think anybody expected it. It was a possibility, but a very remote one. But I was determined to leave Barcelona. If Florentino Perez had not won the election, I would have gone to Italy.

“But I was determined to leave Barcelona. If Florentino Perez had not won the election, I would have gone to Italy.” There you have it. Straight from the horse’s mouth that Figo was planning on leaving the club even though he pledged he was staying. What is even more pitiful from Figo was him blaming the club for not giving in to his greed and giving him a new deal, after the team went trophyless, and when elections were called.

In 2009, Figo was interviewed by FourFourTwo ‡ and the topic of his transfer and his signing with both Juventus and Parma were brought up. Yet again, the makings of a greedy corrupt individual who would be suited for the FIFA throne were on display. Here is what he had to say.

Much has been written about your transfer from Barcelona to Real Madrid. Can you tell us exactly what happened? Is it true you never wanted to leave?

I thought that Barcelona were not treating me properly by not paying me according to my importance at the club. The chance of joining Real Madrid came up but the directors of Barcelona assumed I was bluffing them. I believe they later used the fact that I was leaving to show they had financial problems. In the end, when I already had a deal with Real Madrid, it’s true they agreed to give me what I was asking for and there was a chance for me to stay. But it was too late and I ended up going to Real Madrid to avoid problems for my agent, who had a commitment with them.

What happened between you, Juventus and Parma in 1995? Did you really sign for both clubs?

My contract with Sporting was about to expire and the club hadn’t done anything to sign a new one, at least not when I thought they should have. They reached a deal with Juventus to transfer me, but I was angry when I found out about it and I signed a contract with Parma’s president, Pastorello. It was the only proper contract I really signed – what I’d signed with Juve wasn’t supposed to be a valid contract. But Luciano Moggi, whose influence in football I understand a bit more these days, managed to ban me from playing in Italy for two years. Maybe it was my lucky moment, because in the end I went to Barcelona.

“[T]hey agreed to give me what I was asking for and there was a chance for me to stay. But it was too late and I ended up going to Real Madrid to avoid problems for my agent, who had a commitment with them.” Same question, yet a different answer. Figo previously admitted that he was determined to leave, yet, he said in this interview that there was a chance for him to stay but had to leave because he felt sad for his agent. Figo’s lies were always amusing and his lame response to signing contracts with both Juventus and Parma exemplified the type of person suited for a position with FIFA.

Just last year, Figo was asked again about his transfer. Again, he said that he left because the club did not appreciate him. However, he just said in 2009 that the club gave him what he asked for but left to avoid problems for his agent. The lying never stopped and it seems it will never stop with Figo. So it was somewhat surprising to see Figo withdraw from last week’s FIFA Presidential Elections. After all, he had all the attributes of  a lying greedy corrupt person. Nevertheless, it was ironic when Figo called out FIFA when he said, “FIFA’s reputation as an obscure organization that is so often viewed as a place of corruption.” That is mighty rich from one of the most disloyal corrupt players the game has ever seen.

Fortunately, Sepp Blatter’s new term as FIFA President, after winning last week’s elections, lasted a mere four days before stepping down this week. Hopefully the next FIFA president will be an honest individual who will clean FIFA up for good and not possess the characteristics of a lying shady greedy individual such as Sepp Blatter and Luis Figo. One can only hope.

@IBES16

* BBC Match of the Day Magazine, October 2000 issue, The $60 Million Man. Page 50 – 54

† Champions League magazine, March 2001 issue, Luis Figo interview, The Best is Yet to Come. Page 10-15.

‡ Interview: Sergio Krithinas. From the March 2009 issue of FourFourTwo. 

Thanks for Everything, Xavi.

After 17 great seasons, another Barça legend will walk away from the club at the end of the season. Xavi will bid farewell to the Blaugrana at the end of the season and joins the likes of Abidal, Puyol and Valdés who have recently left the club as legends.

I once referred to Xavi as the brains of the team while Messi was the spirit of the team and Iniesta was the vision of the team.  He was the team’s CPU who processed all the data in front of him and made sure which option was the best. Unfortunately, his powers lessened which is normal when you are dealing with problems to your Achilles and father time.

With over 750 appearances for Barça and nearly 900 for club and country, it would be a disservice to select Xavi’s greatest moment and no highlight reel would ever be sufficient to cover all of his magical passes and plays. The man was simply a genius at work and we have been privileged to watch him ply his trade since the late 90’s.

So the months of speculation are finally over. Xavi will be leaving the club at the end of season with 23 titles, which are the most in club history. He can win two more titles and exit with another treble under his belt. That would be the best way to ride into the sunset.

Hopefully he follows in the footsteps of Guardiola and return from his Middle East adventure and be involved with the club one way or another. Here’s hoping these final few weeks will be more memories for him and us fans. Thanks for everything Xavi and you will be missed. 

Crunch Time for Barça.

Barça’s chances at the treble are very legit now. A victory today against Atlético Madrid means they win the league title with two more to go.

What a week it was for Barça. Although they suffered a 3-2 loss in Germany to Bayern Munich, their 3-0 first leg result last week pretty much ensured that they would heading to the Champions League Final in Berlin in June. The chase for the treble is officially on and Barça can win the first title today in Madrid with a victory over Atlético Madrid.

Ironic that it was one year ago to this day when Atlético Madrid came to the Camp Nou and played Barça to 1-1 draw in the final match of the season for the league crown. Today, Barça can exact revenge by winning the league title on Atlético Madrid’s turf. With only two matches left on the schedule, and a four point lead over Real Madrid, it would be best for Barça to get the job done today and rest their players for next week’s final league match against Deportivo at the Camp Nou.

Barça have gotten this far thanks to the excellent form of the front three of Messi, Neymar and Suarez. They have all contributed in the big games and we expect them to continue to do so in these next three big games. The first final is today and the next two are on May 30th against Athletic Club for the Copa del Rey trophy at the Camp Nou and then for the Champions League trophy in Berlin on June 8 against Juventus.

This is the third time Barça and Athletic meet in a final in recent history while this is the first time Barça and Juventus meet on the European stage since 2002-2003 season. However, as Pique reminded everyone on Friday when he said, "The way people are talking it's as if we'd already won the treble, and that's not the case. The finals are against two historic clubs and we still haven't won anything yet. "We're close but and we have to keep our feet on the ground." He is right. Barca need to take it one match at a time and focus solely on today and not look ahead.