Old grievances see Cruyff reject vote on president of honour

Already the old rivalries at Barcelona have returned to raise their heads at the club as Johan Cruyff, a legend as a player and a coach turned down the chance to be elected as the president of honour.
Politics and football go hand in hand at the club, and this has caused serious divisions over the last 15 years. Following the election of Sandro Rosell as the new president there appears to be no end in sight even though on his arrival he announced that as one of his big aims.
In 1996, Cruyff was sacked as manager by the increasingly dictatorial president Josep Nuñez and so created a division which still exists today. Such a powerful figure, Cruyff was a dangerous figure to have as an enemy and he felt he had been unfairly dismissed by Nuñez. Cruyff became a major critic of the presidency and played a big part in Nuñez resigning in 2000 and remained a fierce opponent of Joan Gaspart who took over but fell from grace in 2003, standing down with the club in crisis.
A supporters platform called the Elefant Blau had been set up to oppose Nuñez with Joan Laporta as spokesman. Many were successful middle-aged businessmen who had grown up on the magic of Cruyff on the pitch and so it was natural they sided with him in the mid 1990s. When from that group a presidential campaign was launched in 2003, Cruyff sided with them and the man they put forward for president – Laporta – who had become a close friend.
When Laporta won the 2003 elections, he made Cruyff an influential part of decision making even though he had no official role on the board and his interference angered Sandro Rosell, who ended up resigning in 2005.
That is why now five years later with Rosell as president there is so much tension between him and Cruyff. When the new board decided to hold a vote to see if Cruyff should remain as the president of honour, Cruyff walked into the club’s offices and returned the insignia. Now he has refused an olive branch which was handed out by Rosell.
“It would be ridiculous for me to accept the position after a vote among fans, with the role having been taken away from me. I will leave the board alone and let them get on with their job,” said Cruyff.
Meanwhile Rosell is in South Africa talking to Cesc about a move to the Nou Camp. Along with Chygrinskiy, Thierry Henry is also leaving the clubs and is presently finalising a deal with the New York Red Bulls.