The Palau supports Barcelona | Sports

The Palau Blaugrana has supported Barça in a closed season in white at the Camp Nou. Although their behavior has been very unequal, the sections have allowed FC Barcelona to boast of being “the best multi-sports club in the world”, words pronounced last October by the president Joan Laporta when the acts of the 50th anniversary of the Palau (1971 ). The poor performance of the basketball and roller hockey teams, defeated in the League and in Europe after winning the Cup, contrasts with the successes of handball and futsal, which have practically won all the titles, as well as women’s football – lost the Champions League final-, now associated with the professional sections whose sports director is Xavier Budó.

The trophies are essential to guarantee the continuity of the Palau and justify the multi-sports nature of the entity if one takes into account that the sections are deficient: the losses range between 40 and 50 million per year even in situations of austerity -the cut this season it has been 13.40%. Barça, an institution recognized as “more than a club”, has even been accused of playing against the sporting interests of Catalonia when on occasions it has promoted basketball, handball and hockey in exchange for decapitalizing Joventut, the Granollers and Igualada or Reus. There are no fans more culés for their sense of militancy than those of the Palau and especially those who accompany their team on the slopes of Catalonia.

Although the Barcelona support groups have been increasing, the presence of supporters of the opposing teams in the stands of the Palau Blaugrana is relatively common. This has happened, for example, in the semi-final of the OK Liga in which Reus eliminated Barcelona and was later defeated in the final by Liceo. The play-off format in hockey and basketball has favored competition in the dispute over titles after the regular phases are usually dominated by Barcelona. The biggest challenge for Barça is now the European Cup and their investment has focused more on the signing of players than on favoring the youth academy and Catalan grassroots sport, no matter how much La Masia has been tried lately.

“We are nobody if you compare our budget with that of Barcelona, ​​which multiplies it by ten: one of its players only earns half of what our entire team earns,” Mònica Balsells, president of Reus, stated categorically. The same similarity can be established between the record of about 4 million received by Nicola Mirotic, the figure of the Barça basketball team, and Joventut de Badalona. The Barça budget in the basketball section is in any case similar to that of Real Madrid: it exceeds 40 million. The white club, however, does not participate in the handball and roller hockey tournaments and has recently joined women’s football, three disciplines that Barcelona has dominated at the Spanish level.

“Barça and Madrid complain about the state clubs in European football when they act in some way as state clubs in our basketball,” two representative figures from two ACB League clubs agree. “Let’s not blame Barça now for the championships it dominates,” they reply at the Palau. “It would be necessary to ask about the investments of others and also about the sponsors in the same way that it would be convenient to help specific sports clubs that go out of their way to stay in the current conditions”, insist from Barcelona and especially those who defend the Barca brand. The clubs have been the engine of Spanish sport and FC Barcelona has up to five professional sections and 12 amateur sections.

The different teams that play at the Palau have won more than 380 titles, with handball, roller hockey and lately futsal being particularly successful, which this season has won four titles, the last being the League. Although the disappointments have alternated with the joys, the balance of the Palau has alleviated the hardships of the Camp Nou. The Barça club, in any case, insists on cutting back and optimizing resources, especially in the most expensive teams such as basketball: Davies, Smits and Hayes-Davis have already dropped out, there are also doubts about the continuity of Oriola and Kuric and even termination of Calathes’ contract is negotiated. The incorporations will surely be Satoransky, Vesely and Da Silva.

There will also be news in handball: Nielsen, Wanne and Carlsborgard will surely join and Maciel, Ángel Fernández, Ali Zein and Ben Ali will leave while Veszprem announces the signing of Fàbregas for 2023. And in roller hockey it is known that Nil will say goodbye Roca and the signing of Marc and Carles Grau. Likewise, there will be some change in futsal and women’s football: the departure of Hermoso, Andújar and Martens has been compensated by the additions of Bronze, Geyse and Rábano. The victories at the Johan Cruyff, the ground where Alexia Putellas’ team usually plays their matches, and the successes at the Palau have vindicated the multi-sports nature of Barça against those who are committed to concentrating their efforts at the Camp Nou.

The titles cost money and sometimes, even spending a lot, nothing is gained and if it is not enough to ask at the Camp Nou after squandering the 222 million received by Neymar Junior.

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