“Laporta is like Facebook, in 2003 it was fresh and new and now it looks like it has aged 50 years”

For those who had followed them years ago on Twitter, the book is a kind of one for one giant produced by this mass phenomenon that La Sotana has become, an invention that began nine years ago through Skype and which today is “the most listened to independent podcast dedicated to Barça in the Catalan language and which fills theaters throughout Catalonia”, as the review of a work published with an exquisite edition says. They talk about the classics. From Cruyff, Messi, Guardiola, Gaspart, Laporta, Núñez or Kubala. They add others more debatable such as Amunike, Prosinecki or Okunowo. And some are neglected such as Ramallets. “Any serious historian would have put it among the 20 most important”, admits Manel Vidal. But the only serious thing about the book is that they have been well documented. “The names are what they are and what happened happened. Of course, it is explained in our way,” concludes Andreu Juanola.

A way so particular that, in his podcast, it led them to confront the power from day one. “We’re oblivious, but that’s the beauty,” says Manel. The clearest example is when they dedicated a carol to Josep Maria Bartomeu, in which they described him as a “piece of bastard” and accused him of wanting to “fill himself with commissions” from Espai Barça. “Hey, the commissions aren’t illegal, I’m a commercial person and I charge them -Andreu said, laughing-. Look, we came to tell him things, and he got angry about it…” Bartomeu , through Barça’s legal services, filed a complaint. “And the day came when the conciliation ceremony was held. We all forgot about it and didn’t attend! That’s how we are…”, they explain. The result? Barça “weakened”, the complaint was left on wet paper and Bartomeu’s Christmas carol and threatening burofax serve precisely to close his book.

La Sotana has 2,500 ‘patreons’ and an audience of almost 100,000 people in each podcast

There are five in the team. Manel and Andreu, together with the coach, Enric Gusó, have been there since the beginning. Joel Díaz and Magí Garcia were added later. Two founders, Ignasi Fuster and Sergi Pujol, folded their sails years ago. They define themselves as “a group of friends” who, things in life, went from making a product that only their acquaintances listened to to having 2,500 patreons and an audience of almost 100,000 listeners in each La Sotana podcast, a program that, for Joel, Manel and Magí, has served as a springboard for them to enter other conventional media.

They assure that they take fame well, although in Catalonia “being famous is unfortunate”, because “there are more famous people [que ells] who are not stopped in the street”. Although the basements, who move through nocturnal environments, sometimes have to hold the candle. “There are people who think that because they listen to you on a podcast, you are their friend. If they tell you that they are patreonso try to be a little grateful and polite”, points out Manel with divine irony.

Despite the fact that the format is different, they accept that it is said of them that they have taken over from the Força Barça as a reference program that makes humor about Barcelona. “We’ve always thought that, if it has to be done, it’s better to do it on yourself than to wait for it to be done from the outside.” They focus on Barça and tiptoe around Madrid. “La Sotana has little anti-Madridista content. We are happy when they lose, but we prefer to make fun of Barça. Although, after five Champions Leagues almost in a row, there is not much reason to joke about it.”

From criticizing Bartomeu’s Barça to criticizing Laporta’s Barça

And joking, critical joking, involves messing with those in charge. With Bartomeu they were “in the trenches” and, they say, it was easier for them. When Laporta won the election, it cost them a little more. “But now it is!” And, in a week where the Barcelona president gave explanations about the Negreira case, Manel gives his summary of the appearance. “Seeing him reading a PowerPoint, with all the boxes and a CD-ROM, gave an aged image. It’s like Facebook. In 2003 it was very new and very fresh. Now it seems to have aged 50 years suddenly.” And that being said, it stays so wide.

For incidents like this, or for having said one day that Pedri “had a retarded hairstyle”, the club has banned them and won’t let them interview anyone. Nor to any women’s player, no matter how much “they want to come”.

La Sotana will be nine years old next month. And they hope to celebrate all ten in 2024. But, as Andreu warns, the program “is closer to its end than to its beginning”. They are clear that La Sotana is them and that “it wouldn’t make sense” with other members. “Just as it doesn’t fit into mainstream media.” They already tried it at SERCat and Betevé. They lasted months.

As Manel summarizes: “After Christmas, Betevé warned us and we went on Christmas vacation. He was worried because he was afraid that self-censorship would change us. And it didn’t. It was to come back, do a program as usual and have complaints from two collectives who had felt offended. Then they kicked us out. We didn’t feel very bad, firstly because we were paid little and, above all, because if we had changed we would have stopped being us.”