GAME OVER

Finally, we have had elections at Barça. Bartomeu has clearly won and will be President the next 6 years (in theory, we all know how this Club goes...)

As there have been many analyzes of these elections, I do not think we have another matter. So, here it is.

BARTOMEU: The triplet and trident. The triplet and trident. And everything works fine. And, what does not work, it is the fault of others. This and the support of a press unworthy of the name (with exceptions), which has hidden to all the socis the "bad" issues, has had enough to win. He has not presented any program (go to his website and see if you can find it), and neither it has been necessary. He asked for fair play in January, when he said that elections would be at the end the season but he and the members of his Board have been traveling up and down since then on behalf of the "events of the Club". He dind't want to go to any debate with the other candidates, except the obligatory on TV3, which is the essence of democracy. But, he is chosen by a majority of socis and, if they think the Club has to be this, it is their decision. We will have enough time to check if this Club becomes just a football team.

LAPORTA: I think he was wrong on both the timing and strategy. He said he was running for elections at the last minute and thought it was because he had to and not because he really believed in it. Nor did he present any particular program (also, go to his website), but a good number of names, really, quite exciting. Program as such was "we did so and will do so if we win." It seemed the student who leaves everything to the last day trusting his memory, and it fails him in the final exam. While on stage he is the best of all by far, the day of the debate was at a low level, without getting virtually the melee with Bartomeu (and it is very clear that Laporta is much better in this regard). If he wants to continue in the race, I think he has to do a deep self-criticism and start working from scratch.

BENEDITO: Got 8000 votes in 2010 and now 3000. Does this mean that people have no trust on him or he has done a bad campaign? Surely not, but Laporta was not in 2010 and had no clear replacement within his group and, now he was. It is quite possible that, sociologically, voters of one and another are very close, though, defended Club models are quite different. He presented his "100 proposals" as a program and many of them, really, really interesting. It has been five years breaking stones going across the country. As a worker, I do not think anyone can say anything. However, as I said once, I think he lacks something to be a media and charismatic leader. I doubt that, after two consecutive defeats, can present something more exciting for the future. We'll see.

FREIXA: A very well presented program (go to the web, like everyone else). A group of well known names by the fans, together with another group of "football workers" unknown to most of the general public. However, I said from the beginning that his credibility, to me, was nil. He has been 5 years in the Board and now he criticizes left and right. "Everything they did was wrong, the Board members had no information ..." I ask: Why did he not leave, if it was like that? If one day he is able to explain it (I doubt), he could be an interesting candidate.

BATISTE: I respect everyone's ideas, however, I can't come to understand that a group that only appeared with the idea of ​​having the famous "animation stand" and to get affordable prices for travel to matches, has been about to be a candidate. Or maybe that's what really matters to the soci. The team wins, no matter how, and that we can go to watch it wherever in Europe.

FARRE And, following the above reasoning, he was much more far from being a candidate. And, in contrast, he had a very interesting program. Even a sponsor to put more money than Qatar Airways! The upside for me is that, now that he knows how it works and what to do, can be a very interesting candidate for forthcoming elections.

MAJO: Beyond the idea, pretty well explained of the electronic voting, I do not buy anything. Majó is the person who said "Messi, best mum" when the Faus-Messi affaire ("that man", remember?). As Benedito, he has already been (and lost) more than one  elections, which does not make him for the future.

FONT: His name was mentioned as a possible candidate for many weeks and finally decided, due to time constraints, not to show and prepare the next elections. We'll see what happens.

MANAGING BOARD: They weren't a candidate, but it seemed. They bought, sold and loaned players during the election period, going far beyond what the statutes say, with the excuse of "The coach demanded it." Unacceptable for a club like Barca.

Personally, it has made me very happy to see how many of the ideas that have been put in this blog in recent months about the "Model of Club" and other stuff, have appeared in many of the programs of the candidates. I do not mean (which could also be), that some of them have been copied. To the contrary, what makes me happy is to see that, someone unknown like me is not so far, in concept of Club and way of doing things, of these that have been present at the elections. Also, you know I was in the group "Origen" which got to submit a program and finally decided not to run the call of the elecions. Right now, I do not know if we will try to participate in the next one.

I know that some candidates will read this and some will not. Some will like it and some will not. It is what it is. In any case, this game is over and now it begins a new one. We'll see what happens!

Jordi Pascual

You can follow me on twitter: @JordiPascualP

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

SPACE + TIME = XAVI

Everything points that, at the end of the season, Xavi Hernández will leave Barça. "It's okay to leave. It's old" or "He is not useful for this modern game" are some of the things we've heard in recent times. I will not make any assessment on them. It's wasting time. It's that simple.

It is true that no one will remember Xavi as the player who ran faster than anyone, who jumped more than anyone, who recovered balls, who put the foot making a huge effort to prevent the ball went into the goal after the goalkeeper was overcame, that... nothing. From all this, nothing.

Nor he won't remembered for three "nutmegs" on the same play or, dribbling one player after another or, for his records as a scorer. Not Either.

About football it has always said that it was a matter of space and time. The one who dominates this, dominates football. And this is SIR XAVI (Yes, in capital letters, as the "Master" Puyal named him). Xavi is football. It is the "fucking boss" of space and time. Always with the GPS in position, scanning all the possibilities before receiving the ball. "What he does is very easy," said some. Easy? You mean it's easy to play 1-2 touches almost always choosing the best option? No. Not a chance. What Xavi does is very complicated. If it was that easy, the world would be full of Xavis. And it is not. For some reason it will be.

Now turn to play short. Now, long. Now, to the right. Now, to the left. Now, forward. Now back. Now, we accelerate. Now, we stop. Now, I approach. Now, I go away. Space and time. Always, at all times. Reading the match and the play as few players in football history. Always knowing what it is most interested for the team.

"The false 9" is not understood without Xavi. "When you see Leo in this  position between the lines, pass him the ball," said Pep to Xavi the day of 2-6 at the Bernabéu. And Xavi,  searching for Messi. And when he saw him where he had been told, PAM! Because, of course, for much intelligence you have, if you can not play it ... and Xavi, plus intelligence, has quality. Tons of quality that many people have never seen or understood.

"Move the ball to move the opposition," says the manual of positional playing. And Xavi got tired of playing the ball. Towards hither and thither. Always with the idea of ​​disrupting the contrary, to find the spaces between the lines, to find the place inside pass and then again, PAM! Take, Leo, finish. And, Leo, if he gets the ball on the edge of box, he finishes. That's why he is the best in the world.

"Do not touch if they don't come" also the manual says. And Xavi was running with the ball, until an opponent was coming to look for him and, then, a soft touch and an opponent less. And a line overpassed. And, closer to the opponent's box. Space and time. Every Time.

Xavi, besides breaking many lines too, with Iniesta and Messi broke another football "myth". The small and technical players. Especially among the "6" and "8" showed that, for playing in midfield, you did not need to have 1,80m. nor weigh 80kg. And, when they linked with the "10"... Those 3v2 near the opponent's box dizzy everyone until, PAM!, once again. Take, Leo, finish

"The ball does not get tired, let's make run the ball," also the manual says. And Xavi made the ball run at a crazy speed. So much that one day, which Barça won 4-0 Bayern in the Champions League, Van Bommel (former Barça and Bayern at the time), when asked after the game why they had not made almost no fouls, he replied "Is that nobody was there. When we arrived, there was no ball or otherwise. It was like chasing ghosts".

It will take years to see one like him. Not at Barça, no. In the world. No players like him appear every day. There is no plenty of Architects and Engineers with this style. No people have mastered spatial concepts like the one of Terrassa. A player does not have 7 Leagues, 3 Champions, 2 World Club Cups, 2 European Championships and 1 World Club, playing as a starter, if you don't have something special.

Ladies and gentlemen, stand up and hats off. With all of you, the "Lord of space and time": SIR XAVI!

Jordi Pascual

You can follow me on twitter: @JordiPascualP

LIGHTS AND SHADOWS

Beyond the change from "Model" (The one which, according to the Board wasn't questioned) and the fact unacceptable to me that the 1st team plays in a way and at grassroots (Academy), they work and play in a different manner, fact is this Barça of Luis Enrique has a number of features quite marked. Let's see what this team stronger and, where squeaks this way of playing the Asturian.

The first thing that is clear is that this team has been made from verticality and not horizontality. So far Barça was a team that slowly up the ball until all players have placed in attacking positions and from there, start that dance of positions and players which mesmerized the rival until it left a hole to penetrate with many options to score. It was a team based on midfielders. To fill the midfield with players and create the superiorities from there was the most important.

Now, that does not exist. The team begins at the back to go quickly up, to find the "Three Tenors" that, from these, come the plays. And basically everything goes around Messi. Before, the game was organized from Xavi. He dictated the "tempo" of the match. When to go fast and when to slow. Now, quickly search of Messi, for him, from the position of dropped winger, to make a diagonal to Neymar. This diagonal is what gives him time to get to the edge of the area, which is where the Argentine star is lethal. Weeks ago, Messi picked up the ball and began to dribble players up to the front. He had two lines and 6-7 players to delete. Now no. He delates midfielders with this pass and reaches the front where there will be 2-3 to "disturb" him. Pretty easier.

If the diagonal is not feasible, then Messi tries to dribble and go by the right side. But here is closed for 2-3 opponents... and the sideline. When Messi played as "False 9", could have opponents, but had no space limitations. Now he has them and this makes it easier to lose balls.

And if Messi is closed, turn to play ball back and start moving the ball. But this team no longer has to Xavi and no one to play their role. Midfielders (Iniesta, Rakitic, Rafinha...), are not players with the pause and sense of game as the one of Terrassa. And, the team notices a lot. Too Much. And, as the positional play has become an accessory, if the mechanisms and automatisms are not worked, they are lost. As also football patience has been lost. Everything is vertigo and speed. Back and forth.

And now the team reaches attack positions far between the lines. This means that, if there is turnover, the contrary has a lot more space to counterattack, just as it has Barça. The games have become a coming and going, often nonsensical. And this Barça gives many options for the adversary. Any team can put Barça's defense in trouble, which has not all the blame, much less, of conceding goals.

It is said that when a team receives goals, blamed for the defense or goalie. No. At least not always, and in the case of Barça, perhaps less often than people think. If the ball arrives easily to the rival forwards and they have clear choices to overcome the defense is not, in principle, because the defenses are bad or not in "form". Often in situations 2v2/1v2/1v1 where the opposite faces goal while the defense runs back. Or, the defense must come down at full speed from offensive positions, because the team structure does not allow for adequate coverage and surveillance.

Luis Enrique, after a long time, seems to have found its "starter team". This is formed by Bravo (Ter Stegen for Cup and Champions), Alves and Alba as full-backs, Piqué and Mascherano as central defenders, Busquets as central midfielder and Iniesta Rakitic as attacking midfielders and, Messi, Neymar and Suarez as forwards.

Clearly, the three at the front is pure dynamite. If not the best attack in the history of football, it sure is among the best. There is goal, quality and magic. Each player is different and each player brings to the game unique characteristics: speed, movement off the ball, definition. When any of the three has the ball, you know that anything can happen. And, this is not usually good for rivals.

The midfield is the most suffering this new model of Luis Enrique. Participation in the construction of the game is almost testimonial. As already mentioned, the ball rolling at high speed from defense to the forwards, midfielders only serve as companions. And as companions, have a secondary role. Their work is more recovery than building up. And Xavi and Iniesta are very uncomfortable with these very remote functions of their features. And Busquets has to take care of hundreds of square meters, because the team is no longer the team that was all together and had a player 10m. away of each other. Now, that does not exist. If the ball arrives to the forwards, they try to do something without expecting support. If it goes well, it's fantastic. But if the play does not end, midfielders are far and spaces are very large. As it is about running and not about have fluency in the game, many people prefer Mascherano instead of Busquets in the middle. As I said a few days ago, before, to have the matches under control we were using Xavi. Now we use Mascherano. Different players, different football concept. And, of course, will give different results. We have gone from make the ball run to make the players run. Concept.

And on defense, after Douglas, Mathieu and Vermaelen have come, Piqué and Mascherano continue to play, with testimonials roles for Bartra and Montoya. It is true that we have recovered the best version of Piqué and the team appreciates it. But Mascherano remains the "libero" (Sorry, but I don't accept this of "central amender"; you know that I do not like the inventions of names for existing things), and it seems that there is no credible alternative by the coach in the major matches. In the meantime, Alves still offering a lime and sand and Alba, in tight defensive situations, shows that still have tactical deficiencies. Both are much more comfortable in attack than in defense. Perhaps because even for so fast players like them it isn't useful?

And behind the defenses,  there is the goalkeeper. Bravo is however expected. Sober, without great fanfare. A goalie to win games, but not to win Championships, in my opinion. You can tell me that he is the less scored goalkeeper of the League and probably of the season. Barça goalkeeper has to stop the very difficult balls... and some of the impossible. Ter Stegen is proving the correctness of his signing. No complex, playing quietly and is very young. And, this yes, he stops some of the impossible balls.

We're talking about a Barça that makes a lot of goals, but also gives many options to the contrary. A Barça built from the speed of the players and not from the order of the ball. Basically, this was expected. Compare the players who were Luis Enrique and Guardiola, compare how their teams are. And is not the same to play against a mid-table team in the league, that to it do against Madrid, Chelsea or Bayern in the Champions League. If we play like the first half against the City, everything is possible for this team. If we do as the second one..

A team, as Luis Enrique said in his press conference of presentation, which is unpredictable. What happens is that often it seems unpredictable for the players themselves.

Jordi Pascual

You can follow me on twitter: @JordiPascualP

THE TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Since 1988 Johan Cruyff joined Barça, the Club has developed an unique model of working and playing. This model, where all trained and played in a particular way, had its zenith with Guardiola as coach and remained with Tito Vilanova. With Tata Martino last year and now with Luis Enrique, this has changed. The first team plays and trains in one way and the rest of the Club doesn't know what to do.

All this, when President Bartomeu said yesterday in a newspaper that the profile he was looking for to replace Zubizarreta was closer to a Technical Secretary like "Txiki" Begiristain than a Technical Director as Zubi was doing until now.

See, I'm lost. Who do you think should be the executive officer of sports policy at Barça? The President? The sports Vice-President? The Official of the Club responsible of Grassroots? No. None of them. This must be the Technical Director (as in any other club, don't you think we're doing strange inventions). And as such, it must be a technician. A few days ago, I read that people are proposing a non-technical person for this place. With all due respect, what does this guy know about football? ¿About positional playing? About training methodologies? About recruiting structures? About coach education? What do you think, that the Technical Director has only to negotiate the contracts of players?

We have arrived. Because this is the work of the Technical Director. And, more, in a place like Barca. He must know all this. Like everywhere, he'll know more of some things than others. But he must master these basic points.

He must know that what Luis Enrique is playing now has nothing to do with "Barça model." That there is no wingers neither positional game. Now of course if you are going to sign a coach without knowing if he fulfills what we need...

He must know that Barca B is a formation team that should be as high as possible. That is not the same 2nd or 3rd Division and, if the case, the players have to leave on loan to take these experiences, and that they can not sign every year in 4 or 5 players for this team... because this means the job of those coming from behind is not good.

He must know what the training models are and decide that all will have the same training (with the obvious differences of age, of course). I insist: the first team, too. Therefore, we must go find those coaches, for any of the teams in the Club, who know how our way of working or that are able to adapt. And therefore, just as there must be a recruitment of players also we must have with the coaches.

He must know how to organize the Technical Secretariat (Recruitment), to reach as many places as possible, starting Catalunya, continuing in Spain and then Europe and the rest of world. The presence of scouts of Barça is much lower than that of other clubs and also many boys are missed by not knowing their existence, that is, not to go to places where they should go.

Therefore, the role of the Technical Director is basic. He's not only someone who manages a group of people. Here's more. Is someone who, apart from managing all this group, must know what they are doing, technically. And besides, considering that there are areas or departments that are transverse (as it is supposed to be the famous "Area of Methodology" managed by Seirul·lo). Or the famous "COR" program, the vast database that has the club, but that when it's time to use it, it seems that it's not useful or do not know how to use it.

Therefore, two things are necessary. The first, an Official who knows the world of sport, and that knows, at least roughly, what type of functional organization should be created to achieve this. The second is that the person who is Technical Director, in addition to the capabilities mentioned above, has the ability to modify this structure or organization to make it better and be able to find a team that can do better.

Moreover, the Club must create a structure that allows that changes, whenever there is new Board, are minimal. That is, a stable and permanent structure which is not subject to constant change. And this, as I also said once, involves establishing a clear and concrete "model", the "philosophy" to follow and that it is permanent or, in the worst case, need for consensus very broad to be changed.

Jordi Pascual

You can follow me on twitter: @JordiPascualP

ELECTIONS AT BARÇA (& IV)

In previous posts I have talked about what, to me, should be the future of Barça. I have spoken of the economic model, sports and other sports. Now, it's time to talk about the one who owns the Club: The "Socis" (Members).

The socis of Barça go voting, every six years, which will their President. Every year there's Assembly of Delegates, which could gather a little more than 4000 partners to decide the general lines to be followed by the Board. The reality is that just over 1000 are attending. And that's it. It is very difficult (if not impossible) that the partners may have other activities and participation in the daily life of the club. Convene a non-confidence motion, with the new Statutes, means they have to be 15% of the members entitled to vote who request it. Around 20000. In 14 days, without having Census Members.

"Socis" (less and less, by the way), go to the Camp Nou every 15 days. One reason is that there are fewer members seats. How is this? All Right. Very simple. Not everyone who leaves the seat (resign as member), is replaced by other members. In the late 90s, the Club had major headaches in Champions League games. By law, 5% of tickets should be for visiting supporters. And this meant moving a large number of people (mostly Lateral (side), 3rd Row), to do so. Today, this is much easier. With a capacity of 99,000 seats, only 84000 (figure given by the Vice-President Faus in one of the presentations for the reform of the Camp Nou), are members. That is, 15,000 seats have been lost (or have been won 15,000 tickets to put on sale every game, each one to look as they want).

And, as ever fewer members, it is increasingly difficult to have complaints. At least, in the stadium. Very special circumstances should be taken to the "soci" make a mass protest. It's not about the "soci" to complain every day. Not at all. It is establishing channels that allow the members to say theirs. To participate more actively in the day by day. Nor, it does not try to monitor the activities of the Board. No. That's why they were elected.

For instance. The Delegates we talked about earlier are chosen by lottery. Don't you mean that, to encourage participation, it would be better than those members who want to be (delegates), can be elected directly? And if you do not get the number that mark the Statutes, then the draw is made to choose the rest.

Or, the members to have option for interviews (interactive, for example), with the Officials of the Club? These may, from time to time, go explaining what happens in the Club.

Many will say to me that most clubs that's what happens. Do not forget one thing. In the vast majority of clubs in the world, people that go to the Stadium aren't club owners. They are supporters, only. Here, as I have said many times, we are the "owners". The decisions of the Board are (or will be) in accordance with an electoral program and, as we say the members. On the other clubs, no. There is one person or group of persons who, because they have the majority of shares in the club, decide what they believe is best for their personal interests. And if they get tired, they sell it (the Club), and go away.

At Barça, it does not happen. And it doesn't have to happen. Barça must remain of its members. And they to say theirs. And, it is not to send an e-mail to complain that the seat is broken. Or that water falls when it rains because a pipe from the top is broken. Or ... No. This is not member participation. But then, neither the schedules nor the restoration of Camp Nou does not help much, not to say it does not help anything. Matches on weekdays at 10 pm. With some sandwiches and drinks at exorbitant prices (and no more than that). Members who go to the stadium arrive just in time, watch the game and leave quickly, because tomorrow people have to get up early to go to work. And let's not talk of those who live outside Barcelona and have 2-3 hours to arrive. At some point there was talk of formulas as applied by Bayern, which takes off place at those who do not go to matches. Normal schedule in Bundesliga is 15:30 on Saturday. There's a match at 18:30. One on Friday at 20:30 and Sundays match at 15:30 and another at 17:30. The same as here, so. And some would like to apply the measure. I know they will tell me that this is not the fault of the club. If TV, that if the Asian market, if ... Are you sure? At all? Can anyone tell the me difference (in TV rights), when playing on Sunday at 5pm or Sunday at 9pm? I'm not so clear.

What should be the mechanisms that allow the participation of the membrs? As I said, there are a few: Interactivity with Officials, suitable schedules, adaptation of the Stadium, Assemblies with more representative Delegates ... If you think about it, certainly you'll nfind some more.

It is our Club, and we are all interested in this is working.

Jordi Pascual

You can follow me on Twitter: @JordiPascualP

ELECTIONS AT BARÇA (III)

Historically, FC Barcelona has been a multidisciplinary Club. Basketball, Handball, Volleyball, Rugby, etc. have been sports where the name of our Club has been present. Currently, up to 12 different modalities are practiced in the Club. Of these, 4 are considered professionals (Basketball, Handball, Roller-Hockey and Futsal), while the rest are amateurs.

The questions that many people raise are: Is it necessary to spend so much money to maintain (in the case of professional sports) as a loss-making activities for the Club? and, moreover, should we have so many different amateur sports in a club that is as professional as Barça?

I will tell you yes. To both. Let's start by the amateur sections. The last to go was an historical as was baseball. The justification was that the cost of this section was around 400,000€/year and, since the Club had a "deep economic crisis as a result of the previous Board" had to eliminate those expenses which were not necessary. Well, for you may have an idea, bringing Neymar with family and friends to the presentation of  the player cost (travel, hotels, etc.), according to what the former President Rosell said in his statement to the judge, 301,000€. That is, in a couple of days we spent the same cost that baseball has in a year. No comments.

As the name suggests, they are amateur teams; ie, the players do this sport because they like it, and they have no financial compensation that allows them to live of the sport. As such, these sports serve to show the name of Barça everywhere. To compete. Nothing else than that. So many sponsors and partners and I do not know how many things we have, can't we find one of more local type that serves to cover part of the costs they have? At the end of the day, how much money (among all these amateur sports) are we talking about? 5M€/year? For a club with an overall budget of over 500M€, this means 1% of the total. To put it differently: What an average player of the football team earns (gross), is what cost us all sections at the end of the year. And there would be many simple solutions, such as involving professional players, who serve for these sports. I think there is no more getting around the issue.

Let's go to 'professionals' sports. Teams ready to compete at the highest level in all competitions. Teams that play the "Champions League" for their sport, which often are in the finals and win. Teams costing us a lot of money each year and they tell us they are a bottomless pit. That, however much you try, you can never be profitable. Are you Sure? Has anyone looked well how the NBA works? Has anyone looked at how they work teams across Europe that do not have a "mother" football team who gives the name and much more? As many clubs from around the world come to see the model of "La Masia" to carry it to their clubs and countries, I think we should go there to see what and how. Because if Memphis Grizzlies, with a capacity in the Fedex Forum of 18,000 spectators has benefits and this Club is only dedicated to this, we have to start thinking how they do there.

They have said us about having global sponsors for all sections, about sponsorship for each team, this and that. What I can not understand is that a club like Barça have so much trouble to put a commercial name on the shirt when, we are told, there are so many sponsors and so many people who want to invest in our Club. Something is not right. Or we do not know how to sell the brand "Barça" or, we can not explain what the different sections represent or whatever. What is certain is that there is something that we do not do well.

Together with the purely sporting part is the exploitation of the sports arena. The "Palau Blau Grana". Years ago that is small and outdated. The Board put in the same package of reform of the Camp Nou building a new "Palau" when this was something that had in its election manifesto. If someone tells me reasons why you must go to referendum something we already said they wanted to do... Also, one of the prerequisites for this new construction is that Euroleague Basketball forces have pavilions at least 10,000 people capacity. What capacity will have the new "Palau"? Well, 10,000. That is, it appears that the Board has no great interest (or do not know how it works), in a large enclosed sports arena. Beyond the matches, there are many activities to do on a Pavilion of these features. Perhaps no one has explained, but here too there are "VIP Boxes", restaurants, etc. It is, like the case of football, to offer all kinds of services, match-day as well as the other days. People should have the need to spend the day at the club facilities and, if football game is at 8pm, do not have a match of whatever at 6pm, for the simple reason that people leave the Palau to go immediately to Camp Nou. Now, if you have the game in the Palau at 5pm, there may be people who go to eat something before changing scenario. Obviously, this is linked with the prices at the concessions of restaurants and similar. With current prices and services neither the Camp Nou nor the Palau. Has anyone stopped to consider the revenue that could we have with another model of pricing and service?

The sections are closely related to the exploitation of the "Palau". In fact, there is no, in these sports, the earnings of football by television and/or ticketing. One thing to decide is what we do with Club members and their relationship with other sports. Obviously, the first thing that matters is that the person who will watch basketball or handball is the "soci" of the club. But, as we said before, there is a problem of exploitation. The futsal team played a few days ago the "Elite Round" of UEFA giving access to the "Final Four" of the sport. It was played at the "Palau". What was the assistance of spectators? Below 2,000. Something does not work. The same with basketball. The "Palau" is only full 6 or 7 days of the year when we play 40 home games in a season. Little bit. Very little. We have, in different sports, some of the world's best in their specialty, but usually the "Palau" is half full (or half empty, as you prefer). I repeat: something does not work. You see matches of other Clubs in their domestic competitions and halls are full. And, let alone "Champions" matches. Tickets are sold many days before the game. With so many experts in Marketing, New Technology, etc. Are we not able to find ways to fill a "Palau" that, at most, has a capacity of 8,000 spectators? How to fill one 10,000 or 15,000?

We have two ways. Or we accept the current model, and we'll always complain that spending is unsustainable or, we start to look seriously what others do, that fill halls and have benefits

Jordi Pascual

You can follow me on Twitter: @JordiPascualP