ESPAI BARÇA

I wanted to write about the elections and the pre-candidates. In fact, I had it prepared fifty-fifty. However, what I have read of Josep Maria Bartomeu about the "Espai Barça" has made me change my mind. According to the pre-candidate and former unelected president (but legitimate), if his candidacy doesn't win, it is unlikely that this reform is made. Let's see:

1) The reform approved by the socis was "all or nothing". There was no alternative. It was the proposal of the Board or not doing any action.

2) A project was presented for a total amount of € 600M, when this same Board was contrary to the known "Foster Project" by Joan Laporta, costing € 300M ... because it was very expensive.

3) The construction of a new Palau Blaugrana is presented to a vote when it was already included in the electoral program. What is the reason for it? This new Palau will have a capacity of 10,000 spectators. The minimum demanded by Euroleague Basketball. Is it there so little confidence in filling it? Unable to be 12,000 or 15,000 spectators?

4) Mini-Estadi disappears. If there was so few people attending (and better not to mention Barça B match against Betis), do you think that they will go a lot to Sant Joan Despi?

5) From the 1st Ring, they will disappear several rows of seats (we do not know how many), to make way for a series of "VIP Boxes" and "Hospitality". "UEFA compels us", they say. LIE. So clear. And when they want, I show them. Show us UEFA regulations obliging do this.

6) WiFi coverage will be placed around the Camp Nou. Wasn't this in the electoral program, and it haven't been done?

7) Catering kitchens and modern extraction systems will be improved, they tell us. Let's see, so many stadiums they have seen and they have not realized that what is needed are real restaurants where people can have different offers (sandwiches, snacks, menu, "a-la-carte" ..) and not a better system for smoke's extraction?

8) Some of the money needed to make the reform will come from all these concessions and other spaces (shops, etc.), which become long-term (can be up to 50 or up to 99 years); this point was confirmed by the then Vicepresident Faus ("this man", do you remember?), asked about it in one of the presentations of the reform. But let's have clear that if they give us the money now, for all the years of the concession we will not see anything. Or is it not? What revenues will we have therefore?

9) The number of season ticket holders at the Camp Nou has dropped to 84,000. That is, there are 15,000 seats available to the public for each match. This, while there is a fairly long waiting list of socis who want a seat. Meantime, in time of Laporta, the seats were changed by others narrower, so the actual discomfort is clear enough in many areas of the stadium, without the current Board has done nothing to fix it.

10) Therefore, we speak of a reform where the socis, beyond escalators and elevators, will have little benefit. € 420m just for the Camp Nou I do not think they are justified.

Now, make no mistake about one thing. A major reform of the Camp Nou is necessary. In many ways, as I have said many times. Not only escalators, elevators, toilets and kitchens cleaner with better flues. The reform the Camp Nou requires is more than that. Make no mistake. And, I have not heard any pre-candidate saying he will do nothing in this regard. What Bartomeu has done with his statements is purely emotional blackmail to the socis.

Is it necessary a reform of the Camp Nou? Yes. So clear.

Is this reform that they propose needed? No. So clear.

Do we need a President with these ideas? No. Even clearer.

Jordi Pascual

You can follow me on twitter: @JordiPascualP