The same collective states that its “relationship with the other groups, nowadays, is practically non-existent”. The reason is that in the elections they made “the internal decision not to position themselves with any candidate” and, because of this, they “were subject to dynamics and actions” that they did not like. Also Ricard Faura, spokesman for Dignitat Blaugrana, the group that sued Barçagate, evidences tibantors. “Some who were very active are now not as active or have almost disappeared because they aligned themselves with Laporta’s candidacy”, he believes. “Right now we only have a relationship with Manifest Blaugrana, led by Marc Duch, with whom we share friendship, and with Faura, from Dignitat Blaugrana”, explains David Rodríguez, a member of La Resistencia del Palau. “With the rest we have no relationship and with any of them we have no desire because the feeling we were left with is that some groups were not in the vote of censure to remove Bartomeu’s directive, but to achieve things”, he says.
More meetings with Barça
In March 2023, it will be two years since Laporta began his second term. Some of the groups wanted to leave a bit of room to see the project evolve. “The situation in which Bartomeu and company left us also forces us, out of understanding and institutional respect, to be a little more permissive than we would like because we all understand that the current process is not easy,” says Duch. But he warns: “This will not last forever.” And he explains that the board has specifically called them to two consultative sessions. “One in May, due to the problems that arose in the Eintracht match in Frankfurt, and the other now [dimecres passat], on the occasion of the reform of the statutes”. In the second case, it was a meeting open to all members.
The groups, however, consider it to be an insufficient figure. “In the meeting after the Eintracht match we made a proposal and the board listened to us for an afternoon, but that afternoon has not been repeated. We are waiting for them to call us back because that’s how they told us”, informs Faura. In addition, in relation to the reform of the statutes that the board of Laporta is carrying out, the spokesperson of Dignitat Blaugrana says that “the club” has not cited the opinion groups to “work in a coordinated manner”, which is the ‘offer they made. “We cannot allow the Constitution of our organization write to the letter. And we must defend or expand the powers reserved to the social mass as a whole, no matter how outdated the assembly format may be”, considers Marc Cornet, the spokesperson for Seguiment FCB, who adds: “The relationship with the Laporta board is cordial and of growing trust, although from the sector of impartial opinion it is still difficult to find a place in a club too anchored in Manichaeism”. There are groups that have requested individual meetings with the board. This is the case of Cor Blaugrana, who was received to talk about the Barçagate case. “Although we value this instance very much, we believe that for the future of the entity it is key not only to listen to members from time to time, but to do so permanently”, they point out.
It is also related to the La Resistencia del Palau club. “We have contact with Xavi Budó [el director de l’àrea d’esports]”, they report. But they point out that they have made “criticisms of the club” that they “obviously did not like” the board. In this sense, they are clear: “We don’t belong to any president, we belong to Barça. And when something needs to be criticized, we do it. Some people don’t like that. It feels like there are groups that belong to a certain president”. Mr. Ramon, another of the collectives, is still waiting for the Laporta council to receive them. “We have asked for a meeting with Laporta and Elena Fort and we have not finalized anything with either of them”, explains Carles Agustí, one of its members.
Create participation structures with the Laporta board
“It would be very important to channel the energy of the groups so that they have an impact on the day-to-day life of the club. Barça should capitalize on this within their structures. If not, the groups will continue to exist, but with a parallel life”, says Faura. Agustí expresses himself in the same way. “We showed up to stay, finding a voice in front of the practically zero possibilities of participation in the club”. And the spokesperson for Seguiment FCB, Cornet, says that they already have “defined strategies to stand up when the next great challenge arrives, to avoid at all costs the transformation into a joint-stock sports company”. In this sense, he concludes: “When Laporta affirms that, as long as he is president, Barça will not be an SAE, he must know that he is by our side unconditionally”.
