Camp Nou Latest

Old grievances see Cruyff reject vote on president of honour

2010-07-10T17:06:00Z

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.

Puyol modest about match-winning goal

2010-07-09T09:55:00Z

Barcelona defender Carles Puyol has tried to play down his header which sent Spain into the World Cup final against Holland this Sunday. With Pedro brought into the starting line-up ahead of Fernando Torres you could have been mistaken for thinking you were watching Barcelona as seven took to the field for the match against Germany. It was an opportunity to see the potential new striking line-up of David Villa and Pedro for Barcelona fans. Spain were not at their best but their neat football passing was enough to outdo Germany as their organisation was finally broken down. However, it was a thundering header from Puyol which was the difference between the sides as he out-jumped the defence to power home a corner. "I don't think I will be famous for this goal. I am sure of who I am and I know that on Sunday someone will score a goal which will be more important," he said. "I am very happy because the team is now were it deserves to be. We knew that the game against Germany was very important for Spanish football and now we have just one match to go and we are very excited." Focusing on the goal: "I asked Xavi to put the ball there and in the first half it didn't quite work but for the goal it was perfect." Meanwhile, Barça have agreed a new one-year deal with coach Pep Guardiola, an offer which was on the table from the presidency. While Laporta and Rosell have tried to tie him down to long contracts, the former Dream Team player prefers to go step by step and has turned down more years. Rosell has talked about keeping him at Barcelona for a similar period to Ferguson at Manchester United and making him an institution but it is unlikely he will stay for more than a couple of years. Even Johan Cruyff predicted he would coach the club for a maximum of three years. Guardiola is the type of coach who enjoys seeking new challenges and his future is most likely abroad.

Barça return Chigrinskiy to Shakhtar

2010-07-07T14:39:00Z

The worrying financial situation at Barcelona has seen the new board off-load Dmytro Chigrinskiy back to his former club Shakhtar Donetsk for just 15m euros, ten less than what they paid for him a season ago. The 23-year-old Ukrainian made a poor start to his career in Catalonia, struggling to adapt to the Spanish game and coach Pep Guardiola accepted that he had made a poor judgement by asking for his signing. While it was always going to be difficult to recoup all the money for Chigrinskiy, there had been interest from other clubs including Louis van Gaal's Bayern Munich, but in the end Barça prefered a quick sale, so that they did not have to continue paying his salary. New president Sandro Rosell claims that the financial problems at the club have forced the board to to get a 150m euro bank loan but assures that the club is not bankrupt. He said that otherwise the board would not be able to pay the players' salaries. Rosell said that the club was not bankrupt because of the amount of money that it brought in which meant that they would be able to pay off the loans. Meanwhile, Rosell has assured that Barça would not pay 40 or 50 million euros for Cesc but was confident that they would sign the Arsenal player this summer

New president means Cesc signing imminent

2010-07-02T00:12:00Z

The appointment of Sandro Rosell as the new president of Barcelona means that the club are set to make some big name signings with Cesc Fabregas leading the way. With Joan Laporta seeing out his final days in office there had been a stalemate in the transfer discussions especially over the move for Cesc from Arsenal. While the player made it clear that he wanted to move back to Barça, the club had an arrangement with Rosell that he would unveil him as his big new signing and so this put off any proposed deal. There is likely to be plenty of further movements in the transfer market with Toure Yaya ready to move to Manchester City and when that deal is finally agreed then Barça are set to bring in Javier Mascherano from Liverpool as a direct replacement. Mascherano made it clear a couple of seasons that he would like to move to Barcelona and now due to the financial crisis at the Merseyside club, it means that they could accept an offer of around 30m euros. Finally the World Cup has brought German winger Mesut Ozil to the attention of the world audience and while several clubs are interested in signing him, Barcelona lead the way with the player having revealed it would be a dream to play for them.

World Cup watch - Cruyff criticises dull Brazil

2010-06-30T18:29:00Z

After watching an exciting end to the Champions League and Barcelona pipping Real Madrid to the title with the highest ever points title, after all the waiting and expectation, the World Cup has been a big disappointment. Players have failed to perform, matches have been slow and depressing, while the refereeing also appears to have suffered. It has all been summed up by an ultra-defensive Brazil who are looking strong but at the same time likely to send you to sleep. "I would never pay to watch this Brazilian team play," said Cruyff, "they have talented players but they play in boring style and are not very interesting. It is an embarrassment for the fans and the tournament as they are one of the teams that people have come to see." While in the past Brazilian stars like Pele, Socrates and Romario have stood out at World Cups, this year the players likely to be remembered are defender Lucio and keeper Julio Cesar. Coach Dunga has certainly done well in building a team in his image. Of course it hasn't only been Brazil, England came to South Africa with plenty of expectation and now there is plenty of analysis at what went wrong - was it Capello or Rooney? Were the players generally not interested or were they simply not good enough. Rooney's former team-mate Ronaldo also might as well not have turned up. People could be forgotten that the 90m euro player was actually on the pitch as Portugal limped out against a Spain style who did the minimal to win. Argentina offer the most hope for entertainment with Messi, Tevez and Higuain showing their skills on the pitch while Maradona is always good value for money for his reactions on the sidelines. They play Germany this weekend but while they are favourites to win there are question marks over their defence and especially Dimechelis so don't be surprised with an upset. The main reason why the World Cup has been a disappointment is that fans are now used to watching Champions League football and a higher level of competition with the best players in the world together, but also the players have gone to South Africa clearly tired and feeling the strain after a long season. One element that can be addressed is the bringing in of technology to decide contentious decisions and it seems as though Fifa are finally listening to reason. Finally the biggest positive so far for Barça fans has been the form of new signing David Villa who has been banging the goals in for Spain

Robinho and Ibrahimovic in swap deal

2010-06-07T16:06:00Z

Manchester City forward Robinho could be used in an exchange deal involving Barcelona's Zlatan Ibrahimovic who would join the Premier League club. Robinho's future has been in limbo after finishing the season in Brazil following a disappointing spell with City in which he never showed the necessary commitment to succeed. Having arrived from Real Madrid, he suddenly found himself in a team with much lower expectations and in a city very different from what he was accustomed to. However, rather than adapting he looked for a way out and took every opportunity to return to Brazil. One thing is for certain, that Robinho will not return to Manchester and he has made it clear that he would like to return to Spain to prove himself after failing to impress also at Real Madrid where he left under a cloud. Guardiola is known to be an admirer of Robinho and he thinks that he could fit in well to Barca's style of football unlike Ibrahimovic who has struggled this season. For that reason Barça are looking at the possibility of a swap deal and Dani Alves, a close friend of Robinho's, says that his international team-mate will be at the Nou Camp next season.

Barça eye up Van der Wiel

2010-06-05T18:48:00Z

Barcelona are considering making a move from Ajax defender Gregory van der Wiel. The 22-year-old has played in the Ajax first team for the last four years and is already a Dutch international. Sports director Txiki Begiristain sees him as a useful cover for Dani Alves at right-back but due to his versatility, pace and tactical strength he can also play at centre-half. However, after a good campaign for Ajax he has attracted admiring glances from teams around Europe and his price is now thought to be in the region of 10 to 12m euros. Meanwhile, Barça are keen to sew up the signing of Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas. Their initial offer of 35m euros was turned down by Arsenal and the club said it had no plans to work with the present Barça board but this has not put off president Joan Laporta who says that they are still speaking with the London club although it appears that so far there has been no new breakthrough. It is likely though that Barça will make a new bid substantially higher than the first so as to bring in the player sooner rather than later. One player who won't enter into a swap deal is Toure Yaya who is set to sign for Manchester Cuty and play alongside his brother Kolo. Toure is definitely on his way out of the Nou Camp and City are in the process of arranging a deal in the region of 20 to 25m euros, less than Barça were jhoping as they set out to make as much as 35m euros from his sale.

Arsenal want 60m euros for Cesc

2010-05-23T18:01:00Z

Arsenal have slapped a 60m euro asking price on the head of midfielder Cesc Fabregas although Barcelona hope to get the player for considerably less. Cesc headed to Arsenal in 2003 believing that it was the best move for his future and he has established himself as one of the best midfielders in the world as well as becoming the Arsenal captain even though still in his early 20s. Now though having seen the success of former team-mates like Gerard Pique and Leo Messi in Barça's junior ranks, he wants a move back to the Nou Camp. Arsenal are reluctant to lose their talisman player and have put a price of 60m euros on Cesc but the player is still confident that he will be able to convince manager Arsene Wenger that his future is elsewhere and so reduce the asking price. One alternative is a player plus cash deal with Ivory Coast midfielder Toure Yaya moving in the opposite direction but while the player's agent says that Toure is more than 90 per cent sure to leave this summer he is not prepared to be the makeweight in a deal and is seeking a move to Chelsea rather than Arsenal. Cesc has made it clear though that he wants to leave this summer and get the move organised before he goes to the World Cup next month. Some fans though are asking whether they need a player like Cesc in their ranks when they boast similar players in Xavi and Iniesta while they are loathe to losing the physical presence of Toure

Villa delight at Barça presentation

2010-05-21T13:32:00Z

New Barcelona striker David Villa expressed his happiness at joining the Catalan club at his presentation today. "This is an honour for me, a reason for pride and an important step for me in my career. I have finally been able to achieve one of my long time aims of playing for a team like Barcelona. I am sorry because I am a little nervous but I am going to give everything for this club and I hope that the Cules will be happy with my performance. I am sure that it will be like that," he said. There has been some debate though over the actual cost of Villa which has been stated by the club as 40m euros as presidential election candidate Sandro Rosell claims that it was 50m euros. With talk that Barça could also splash out 50m euros on Cesc, he said it was a cause for concern. "We have to be cautious about this as if we spend 50m here and 50m there we could be in trouble as we already have a debt of 489m euros and we still have to pay for Dmitro Chygrinskiy and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Villa in, Ibrahimovic out?

2010-05-19T11:39:00Z

Striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been put on the transfer list as Barcelona officially announce the signing of Valencia hotshot David Villa.

As revealed by barcelonafans.org last week, Villa has joined the azulgrana and everything suggests that he will fit in perfectly with coach Pep Guardiola's attacking formation as he will complement perfectly the other forwards with his speed and technique.

Villa's arrival means that Ibrahimovic is likely to be on his way out of the club with the Premiership the destination as Barcelona look to recoup a large percentage of the transfer fee they paid Inter Milan last summer, which was around 65million euros.

Ibrahimovic's first season has been far from a disaster and he has scored some important goals such as against Real Madrid at the Nou Camp but there remains a question mark over whether his style of football is best suited to Barça and fans have been frustrated at the way he has struggled to link up with his team-mates.

The Swede won't be forced out of the club after scoring 21 goals this season but he could well end up at Manchester City and be reunited with his ex-coach Roberto Mancini, while Chelsea are also interested in him.

Meanwhile Thierry Henry is set to sign for MLS team New York Red Bulls and Rafa Marquez could follow him to the USA and sign for LA Galaxy, the side of David Beckham.

Guardiola uses video to inspire players to Valladolid victory

2010-05-18T09:24:00Z

Barça coach Pep Guardiola once again used a motivational video against Valladolid to get the adrenalin pumping before their key game which would decide the league - He used it for the first time when Barça played in the Champions League final against Manchester United last season in Rome when he created a montage based on the film gladiator -

Barça v Valladolid action

2010-05-17T08:04:00Z

Messi shines as Barcelona wins the league

2010-05-16T19:57:00Z

Barcelona have won their second league in succession as Leo Messi scored twice in a 4-0 win over relegated Valladolid.

Despite spending almost 300m euros on new signings, Real Madrid were unable to match Barça although they pushed the champions all the way and forced them to set a new points record of 99.

Messi has been the key for Barça especially in the second half of the season and he scored another brace against Valladolid with Pedro and an own goal completing the 4-0 result.

"This was another victory for our system of play and we deserved to win the league again this season. We have built our success on playing the style of attacking, one-touch football that Cruyff introduced and has since been taken on by Rijkaard and then Guardiola in the last two years," said club president Joan Laporta.

Messi scored an amazing 47 goals this season in all competition while Victor Valdes has conceded the fewest in the league, having been beaten just 24 times.

Eto'o sure Barça will win league

2010-05-14T13:39:00Z

Former- Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o is convinced that the Catalan side will win their final game of the season against Valladolid and win the league. "Madrid can forget about it as it is impossible that Barça will blow it against Valladolid," said Eto'o, who is keeping his fingers crossed for his ex-team mates but even so this is not going to be an easy game especially if Barça show any nerves. Valladolid have everything to play for as defeat could see them relegated and their coach is the wily tactician Javier Clemente who has made his side considerably more solid since his arrival. Clemente particularly had success at club level coaching Athletic Bilbao in the 1980s when he helped them to the league and cup but playing a physical style which bordered on brutal at times. He built up a reputation as being anti-Madrid and is always booed when he returns to the Bernabeu. He became Spain coach in the 1980s and when they lost matches he was rounded on by fans who pointed to his Basque roots and claimed he never really had an interest in the national team. Ironically now he can aid Real to win the league when Valladolid play this weekend as anything less than a win for Barça could see the championship go to Real. Barça's cause is not helped by the loss of Xavi to suspension but they have been boosted by the news that Iniesta could be back after a month injured. Eto'o remains in touch with his ex-colleagues at Barça and as a member of the club he will be voting in the elections next month. He now talks lucidly about his departure and playing against Barça in the Champions League semi-final. "I can't say who has benefitted most with me going to Inter and Ibrahimovic coming to Barça. The most important is that people are happy where they are, I am happy where I am but I don't know about Ibra. It was very difficult leaving Barça but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I made comments when I was at Barça which were true but which people didn't like and in the end it was me that suffered," he said. "I know who I will vote for in the elections but all I can say that if Laporta and Rosell had stayed together then Barça would have been even stronger. "In the Barça v Inter semi-final at the Nou Camp we had to play as we did and people should respect other styles of play and remember that the tie was over two legs. Mourinho is a good person although it is true that if you don't know him then he appears mad. Finally he looked back on the Champions League success in Rome and had words of praise for Guardiola. "I was impressed by Guardiola tactically as he said the key was possession of the ball and we spent four days preparing by building play from Valdes forwards. Manchester began well but after my goal they froze and we destroyed them," he said.

Cesc eyes Barça return

2010-05-13T17:16:00Z

Arsenal fans face an anxious wait after Cesc Fabregas revealed he is considering his future at the north London club, and would come to a decision before the start of the World Cup.

The Spain star has long been linked with a move back to Barcelona, where he was a youth player before moving to the Gunners, but Arsene Wenger has continually denied his skipper would be leaving.

But Fabregas has now openly admitted a cloud hangs over his future. The midfielder also again reiterated that if he were to leave Arsenal the only destination he would consider would be the Nou Camp.

The World Cup kicks off on June 11, while Spain get their campaign underway against Switzerland on June 16. Despite missing the end of the domestic season with a broken leg - suffered, ironically, against Barcelona - Fabregas has been named in his country's provisional 30-man squad for the tournament.

'If I decide to leave Arsenal, it will be to wear the shirt of Barcelona. I don't know when this will happen though. I'm very happy at Arsenal. I'm in no hurry to leave the club,' Fabregas told Spanish newspaper Marca.

I want to make a decision about my future before the start of the World Cup. It's impossible to perform at a tournament like the World Cup if you're not fully focused on the sporting aspects of the game. I don't want to be distracted by transfer talk.'

Barcelona are due to hold presidential elections this summer, where prospective candidates promise stellar signings to promote their bid for power. Local boy Fabregas would be a hugely popular arrival at the Nou Camp due to his links with the club, meaning a huge offer could soon arrive on Wenger's doorstep.

Fabregas, however, also stated that no prospective presidents had been in touch about a transfer and played down any talk of a move while Barcelona battle it out with Real Madrid for the Spanish title. The final fixtures in La Liga will be played this weekend.

'Barcelona are still playing for the Liga title and I'm still an Arsenal player. It would be a lack of respect to discuss a transfer now,' he added. 'No candidates for the Barcelona presidency have approached me, so I don't feel used.'