Languish.org

So, the biggest election we'll have in Catalonia this first quarter of 2021 is finally upon us. This Monday Barça's membership is called to vote for the next president.

Barça has gone from touching the sky of football glory to the ninth hell of sporting ignominy under the stewardship of the current board, led by Josep Maria Bartomeu. We're the bum of jokes in Europe, on the verge of bankruptcy, and Bartomeu himself got arrested a couple days ago, charged with breach of fiduciary duty and some other economic crimes. Barça's transfer policy of the past few years should indeed be enough to get them a life sentence.  <_<

Here the danger instead of hitting a nazi is choosing one of the two candidates that were part of Bartomeu's board, or the guy was already charged with doctoring the club's balance sheets when he was president in the 2000s. Christ, we're fucked.

The last guy. Looks like he's about to solve a grizzly subtitled murder on BBC4. Possibly a Mosso from Barcelona with a settled, happy personal life who's called to some mountain village where he has to work with a female civil guard (with a chaotic personal life) from Aragon in a crime that crosses jurisdictions :hmm:

Quote from: Sheilbh on March 04, 2021, 10:49:04 AM
The last guy. Looks like he's about to solve a grizzly subtitled murder on BBC4. Possibly a Mosso from Barcelona with a settled, happy personal life who's called to some mountain village where he has to work with a female civil guard (with a chaotic personal life) from Aragon in a crime that crosses jurisdictions :hmm:

There once was a local show with near exactly that same premise (the female agent was the Barcelona one)  :lol:

Second to last.
Those eyes.
He has seen things.

Old-school leather football is a nice touch but probably a trap.

As for running the club into the ground, unless there are pretty drastic steps done to avoid that, that's a given with most candidates since most of the work is done.

i voted for crazy eye dude

Why is "None of the above" not an option?

Only middle-aged men? Diversity isn't a dirty word, you know.

Quote from: celedhring on March 04, 2021, 10:52:36 AM
There once was a local show with near exactly that same premise (the female agent was the Barcelona one)  :lol:

:lol: They really need to get that sold to BBC4 or Channel 4 (Walter Presents). The market is here.

Which one is the fascist again?

Okay, so it's a soccer club President, not the leader of the country... plus they're all white males in suits, so I can't even go by that.

I'm going with the last fellow - the no tie, unshaven look says to me he's too busy to worry about such superficial details.  He's a man who gets results.

Quote from: Sheilbh on March 04, 2021, 11:37:23 AM

Quote from: celedhring on March 04, 2021, 10:52:36 AM
There once was a local show with near exactly that same premise (the female agent was the Barcelona one)  :lol:

:lol: They really need to get that sold to BBC4 or Channel 4 (Walter Presents). The market is here.

Or Netflix, they're the ones doing most tv shows over here lately. There was actually an article on the Guardian (about, of all things, what they call "Galician noir") about how these new platforms are really increasing the amount of local productions that are being made. Here it is: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/03/galician-noir-how-a-rainy-corner-of-spain-spawned-a-new-tv-genre (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/03/galician-noir-how-a-rainy-corner-of-spain-spawned-a-new-tv-genre)

Regarding the elections, I thought there were only 3 candidates. Or did you include also the ones that didn't make the cut?  I only recognize one, but it'd be the "fun" one if he wins.  :P

Quote from: PDH on March 04, 2021, 12:31:21 PM
Which one is the fascist again?

They're all boring businessmen, except for one (who is not boring at all).  :lol:

Quote from: Barrister on March 04, 2021, 12:35:49 PM
Okay, so it's a soccer club President, not the leader of the country... plus they're all white males in suits, so I can't even go by that.

I'm going with the last fellow - the no tie, unshaven look says to me he's too busy to worry about such superficial details.  He's a man who gets results.

BB, voting for somebody without a tie?  :o

Quote from: The Larch on March 04, 2021, 12:38:08 PM
Regarding the elections, I thought there were only 3 candidates. Or did you include also the ones that didn't make the cut?  I only recognize one, but it'd be the "fun" one if he wins.  :P

Yeah, I did add the most notorious candidates that didn't make it past the first round. Otherwise it would have been a bit boring.

The fun one is the most likely to win. He has by far the biggest name recognition, and he has invested a lot of money in the campaign (alongside the guy polling at #2). Incidentally, he really isn't that wealthy, so I wonder who's bankrolling him.

Incidentally, I had never seen so many ads in the streets/media for Barça's presidential campaign, ever. They had always drawn a lot of media attention, because it's Barça, but the campaigns themselves were rather modest affairs.

Some random trivia:

BB's choice is the third time that runs.

Weird eyes dude - a popular choice - made porn films before becoming a businessman.

One of the candidates was one of my teachers (he thaught copywriting and advertising) at my old Barcelona uni.

Last guy.  Looks a little like the hero scientist in Chernobyl.

Quote from: The Larch on March 04, 2021, 12:39:16 PM

Quote from: Barrister on March 04, 2021, 12:35:49 PM
Okay, so it's a soccer club President, not the leader of the country... plus they're all white males in suits, so I can't even go by that.

I'm going with the last fellow - the no tie, unshaven look says to me he's too busy to worry about such superficial details.  He's a man who gets results.

BB, voting for somebody without a tie?  :o

I'm looking for different things in a sports exec than a leader of a country.

Although the whole idea of voting for a sports team President.  Even for the handful of teams over here that are publicly owned (some CFL teams are owned by the community) the President is just appointed by city leaders.

Well, the ownership of the club falls on its membership, and thus the members appoint the board that runs it. Most Spanish clubs used to be run that way until the law was changed in the 1990s and became regular sports companies with owners and such. Escape clauses were given to Barça and Real Madrid (because they are Barça and Real Madrid), a few other clubs also qualified.

As a lifelong fan (no longer a member, though) I have always loved that the club belonged to the members, however it makes the running of the club insanely political (in the sense that you have a very definite constituency you have to please).

Quote from: celedhring on March 04, 2021, 03:11:55 PM
As a lifelong fan (no longer a member, though) I have always loved this, however it makes the running of the club insanely political (in the sense that you have a constituency you have to please).

And they make big campaign promises that maybe don't help the club?

I think it's really fun from the outside. Very different here. Do they have elections like this in Germany too? I feel like Thomas Hitzlsperger has been running or ran for President of Stuttgart, but I'm not sure.

Quote from: Sheilbh on March 04, 2021, 03:23:52 PMAnd they make big campaign promises that maybe don't help the club?

Nowadays it's a bit frowned upon, but back in the day candidates would normally promise big name signings. That's how Figo went from Barcelona to R. Madrid back in the day, for instance.

Quote from: Sheilbh on March 04, 2021, 03:23:52 PM

Quote from: celedhring on March 04, 2021, 03:11:55 PM
As a lifelong fan (no longer a member, though) I have always loved this, however it makes the running of the club insanely political (in the sense that you have a constituency you have to please).

And they make big campaign promises that maybe don't help the club?

I think it's really fun from the outside. Very different here. Do they have elections like this in Germany too? I feel like Thomas Hitzlsperger has been running or ran for President of Stuttgart, but I'm not sure.

The German clubs these days are typically organized as companies majority-owned by the original amateur club.

The Stuttgart professional team for example is owned 88.25% by the amateur sports club VfB Stuttgart e.V. (rest owned by Mercedes) - which like all German clubs is organized democratically, i.e. elects all important club offices.

Wolfsburg (company team of Volkswagen) and Leverkusen (company team of Bayer) are grandfathered exceptions.

RB Leipzig is de facto owned by Red Bull and circumvents the rule that teams have to be majority-owned by their original amateur clubs by having just a handful of members in the original club, all of which are aquaintances of the Red Bull owner.

Quote from: Sheilbh on March 04, 2021, 03:23:52 PM

Quote from: celedhring on March 04, 2021, 03:11:55 PM
As a lifelong fan (no longer a member, though) I have always loved this, however it makes the running of the club insanely political (in the sense that you have a constituency you have to please).

And they make big campaign promises that maybe don't help the club?

I think it's really fun from the outside. Very different here. Do they have elections like this in Germany too? I feel like Thomas Hitzlsperger has been running or ran for President of Stuttgart, but I'm not sure.

Campaign promises are not that important nowadays, the issues is rather the kind of things you do in order to mantain your popularity throughout once you're elected.  It's indeed quite fascinating if you're not emotionally invested  :lol:

I mean, you have to visualize how this works, and how deeply personal it can be. 80% of the census for this election are Camp Nou ticket holders. So, you're president of Barça. Every weekend you sit on the presidential box - this is not some absentee owner that appoints some random dude to show his face and run the club. If you win, you're fine. If you lose and the fans blame the players or the manager, you're fine. But if they turn towards the presidential box and get their hankies out and calling your mother names, then you begin to sweat. Those are your voters, those are the guys that can kick you out. And there's also the local sports media, which are highly influential on your voters, and which are the closest thing Spain has to British tabloids in sensationalism and overall journalistic integrity. So you start doing increasingly desperate stuff to win voters back, like marquee signings that make no sense, like leaking shit to the press to both cultivate the loyalty of certain journalists and also influence the voters, or even go as far as Bartomeu did and hire a troll farm so voters go back to blame the players and managers. The whole thing can be a shit rollercoaster, but goddamn, why lie, I morbidly love it  :lol:

One more exception in Germany is Dortmund, which is a publicly traded company which has no strong single owner. The original club only owns about 5% there.

Or you can do like Florentino Pérez and make it so onerous for anybody else to become Real Madrid president that you are basically president for life by default.  :P

Here is the German rule: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/50%2B1_rule

Quote from: The Larch on March 04, 2021, 04:09:47 PM
Or you can do like Florentino Pérez and make it so onerous for anybody else to become Real Madrid president that you are basically president for life by default.  :P

Yeah, I believe somebody did the research and only 2 other people in Spain met the requirements (in personal wealth and years of being a Real Madrid member) for becoming president of Real Madrid.  :P

Quote from: celedhring on March 04, 2021, 04:12:22 PM

Quote from: The Larch on March 04, 2021, 04:09:47 PM
Or you can do like Florentino Pérez and make it so onerous for anybody else to become Real Madrid president that you are basically president for life by default.  :P

Yeah, I believe somebody did the research and only 2 other people in Spain met the requirements (in personal wealth and years of being a Real Madrid member) for becoming president of Real Madrid.  :P

Who was the other one?

One was Villar Mir, the other I can't remember.

Quote from: celedhring on March 04, 2021, 04:38:02 PM
One was Villar Mir, the other I can't remember.

It'd be quite fitting for Real Madrid to end up being the plaything of construction moguls.  :P

Anyway, the who is who:

1 - Víctor Font, venture capitalist and local media "mogul" (we are a pretty small market). He would appoint Xavi as head of football. He polls at a distant #2, but he has hopes of concentrating the tactical vote against Laporta (who polls at #1 but is a very controversial figure). He had a bit of a gaffe early in the campaign where he wasn't assertive enough about extending Messi's contract, which is a capital sin (even though the sensible thing would be to let him walk).

2 - Antoni Freixa, lawyer. He was part of Bartomeu's board, but had the fortune of quitting before things went truly to shit, so he's managed to remain largely untainted by it. He polls at #3 and has no chance.

3 - Joan Laporta, lawyer. The big favorite. Boombastic, larger than life, certainly would bring entertainment off the pitch. He presided over the resurgence of the club in the 2000s, which is his biggest calling card for this election. He also has the fortune that Bartomeu's disastrous stewardship has made most voters forget about all the controversy and scandals that happened at the tail end of his own presidency (including claims that he cooked the books). Rumor has it that he would appoint Arteta as manager  :lol:

4 - Emili Rousaud, founder and CEO of an energy company. Also a former member of Bartomeu's board, he quit one year ago, so he's a bit more tainted than Freixa  :P  He got past the first round but mysteriously quit the race a few weeks ago without giving reasons, although it probably was because he was polling a very distant #4 and both Font and Laporta were outspending the others by a big margin. He taught at my uni, and at the time his nickname among students was ironically "Zidane" :P

5 - Jordi Farré, entrepreneur and former porn producer (he was part of the boom of Catalan porn in the late 1990s). He didn't make the cut, but he did lead the motion of no confidence that ousted Bartomeu back in autumn. He was the most colorful candidate after Laporta, so he was a bit of a loss.

6 - Agustí Benedito, car dealership businessman. It's the third time he runs, and for a long time he was the sole opposition to Bartomeu. Yet the world is a cruel place and after he's proven right and the Bartomeu board collapses in ignominy, he doesn't even manage to get out of the first round.

Quote from: Sheilbh on March 04, 2021, 03:23:52 PM

Quote from: celedhring on March 04, 2021, 03:11:55 PM
As a lifelong fan (no longer a member, though) I have always loved this, however it makes the running of the club insanely political (in the sense that you have a constituency you have to please).

And they make big campaign promises that maybe don't help the club?

I think it's really fun from the outside. Very different here. Do they have elections like this in Germany too? I feel like Thomas Hitzlsperger has been running or ran for President of Stuttgart, but I'm not sure.

The Sócio system is still common in Portugal, with sometimes special rules such as in Benfica where seniority gives you more votes.  :lol: In Porto and the others, it's still 1 sócio = 1 vote.
Since it was election year, Benfica president, the notorious Luis Filipe Viera spent like 100 million € on a "new" coach and signings before having the best player to City to recoup the losses after not qualifying for the Champions' League.

PS: Sócio system completely alien to French football.

Quote from: celedhring on March 05, 2021, 04:54:41 AM
Anyway, the who is who:

1 - Víctor Font, venture capitalist and local media "mogul" (we are a pretty small market). He would appoint Xavi as head of football. He polls at a distant #2, but he has hopes of concentrating the tactical vote against Laporta (who polls at #1 but is a very controversial figure). He had a bit of a gaffe early in the campaign where he wasn't assertive enough about extending Messi's contract, which is a capital sin (even though the sensible thing would be to let him walk).

2 - Antoni Freixa, lawyer. He was part of Bartomeu's board, but had the fortune of quitting before things went truly to shit, so he's managed to remain largely untainted by it. He polls at #3 and has no chance.

3 - Joan Laporta, lawyer. The big favorite. Boombastic, larger than life, certainly would bring entertainment off the pitch. He presided over the resurgence of the club in the 2000s, which is his biggest calling card for this election. He also has the fortune that Bartomeu's disastrous stewardship has made most voters forget about all the controversy and scandals that happened at the tail end of his own presidency (including claims that he cooked the books). Rumor has it that he would appoint Arteta as manager  :lol:

4 - Emili Rousaud, founder and CEO of an energy company. Also a former member of Bartomeu's board, he quit one year ago, so he's a bit more tainted than Freixa  :P  He got past the first round but mysteriously quit the race a few weeks ago without giving reasons, although it probably was because he was polling a very distant #4 and both Font and Laporta were outspending the others by a big margin. He taught at my uni, and at the time his nickname among students was ironically "Zidane" :P

5 - Jordi Farré, entrepreneur and former porn producer (he was part of the boom of Catalan porn in the late 1990s). He didn't make the cut, but he did lead the motion of no confidence that ousted Bartomeu back in autumn. He was the most colorful candidate after Laporta, so he was a bit of a loss.

6 - Agustí Benedito, car dealership businessman. It's the third time he runs, and for a long time he was the sole opposition to Bartomeu. Yet the world is a cruel place and after he's proven right and the Bartomeu board collapses in ignominy, he doesn't even manage to get out of the first round.

You've given us six names but there are only 5 pictures in the poll...

There are 6 pictures.

I can only see five :mellow:

I see the six.

I now see six voting totals, but even double-checking on my phone only 5 pics show up.  #2 doesn't display.

The OCP candidate is secret.

Quote from: Barrister on March 05, 2021, 11:09:13 AM
I now see six voting totals, but even double-checking on my phone only 5 pics show up.  #2 doesn't display.

This one?

(https://www.lacontradeportiva.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/tonifreixa.jpg)

Oh you.

Quote from: The Larch on March 05, 2021, 11:14:46 AM

Quote from: Barrister on March 05, 2021, 11:09:13 AM
I now see six voting totals, but even double-checking on my phone only 5 pics show up.  #2 doesn't display.

This one?

(https://www.lacontradeportiva.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/tonifreixa.jpg)

If I copy-paste that link into a separate window it makes me go through a Captcha, then I can see the image.

Edit: and now it appears in this thread as well.

Maybe it's an EU - GDPR thing? It happens sometimes when viewing American sites from here that you either are unable because of GDPR or you have to go through a loop in which you have to accept some conditions.

Man, I just can't stop staring at dat hair. Envy.

Quote from: celedhring on March 05, 2021, 11:28:30 AM
Man, I just can't stop staring at dat hair. Envy.

Better hair than Puigdemont for sure.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DLzxsKFXcAE-hjA.jpg)

Was it a wig?  :hmm:

Given my lockdown hair that picture is quite triggering :ph34r:

I went and got a haircut yesterday.  First since mid-November.  It feels glorious!

Quote from: Barrister on March 05, 2021, 12:15:52 PM
I went and got a haircut yesterday.  First since mid-November.  It feels glorious!

Depending on what's going on with my fringe I either have very long curtains or, like Gabrielle, can only see out of one eye :lol: :weep:

I cannot wait for barbers to re-open (I have a Turkish colleague who tells me that there's an underground network of Turkish barbers that are still open but apparently only for fellow Turks :lol:).

Quote from: celedhring on March 05, 2021, 04:54:41 AM
1 - Víctor Font, venture capitalist and local media "mogul" (we are a pretty small market). He would appoint Xavi as head of football. He polls at a distant #2, but he has hopes of concentrating the tactical vote against Laporta (who polls at #1 but is a very controversial figure). He had a bit of a gaffe early in the campaign where he wasn't assertive enough about extending Messi's contract, which is a capital sin (even though the sensible thing would be to let him walk).

See I thought he was some kind of Tech magnate who was going to replace all your players with robots, hence why I voted for him.

I think he has some investments in tech, he's probably the most influential of the lot, as businessman. He's not a billionaire or anything though, all the candidates are relatively small potatoes in the Catalan business scene. Since Nuñez (who also ended in jail  :P) in the 1980s-1990s we haven't had any of the big fish running for president of Barça.

Funnily, Espanyol have had a longer list of truly wealthy/influential presidents/owners.

Polling stations have closed. Turnout is 55%, the Catalan election of a month ago was 52% (on a census 50 times larger, but still  :lol:).

Exit polls (because of course we have exit polls for this), have Laporta winning in a landslide (58% vs 31% for Font). Will update after the final count.

So, Barça's financial situation is so dire, that Laporta and his incoming board are having trouble securing the bank guarantees required by law. They need to raise €126 million to cover possible losses during their administration. There's talk he's going to have to essentially "sell" a VP chair to some rich Catalan businessman that can provide the needed backing.  :lol: :rolleyes: