The former president of FC Barcelona, Josep Maria Bartomeu , announced yesterday the resignation of the Board of Directors of FC Barcelona. Following their resignation, former Economic Strategy President and President of the Management Committee Carles Tusquets appeared in front of the press. Tusquets was accompanied by Members Trustee Joan Manuel Trayter, who together with Tusquets is in charge of appointing the Management Committee.
It was Joan Manuel Trayter who first took the floor, after a slight delay to the start of proceedings.
Trayter: “I apologize for the delay in the appearance because the meeting had been extended. I accompany the president of the FC Barcelona Management Committee that has been set up at this time. Before giving the explanation, I want to have a memory for the member partners who have lost their lives during this pandemic, which number more than 800, and I would ask for a minute of silence in their memory.”
Trayter : “The message we want to give is twofold. In the first part we want to explain how the club’s organizational and governance structure is, and a second to explain the institutional normality that we have to achieve and are achieving. The football team had never won in Turin, we won yesterday and that gave us great joy “.
Trayter: “What happens to the club now? Barça has survived many things. A player was kidnapped, a bomb fell on us in the war and we were left without a headquarters, they killed a president, Suñol, and we have moved on. The club will continue to function as long as the Management Committee is present and until the elections. Now many interpretations of the statutes will be heard in the media but I want to explain things as they are. The members have to understand things in the best possible way. The Management Committee is the body that has been constituted today and that is the Board of Directors of the Club. When the Board resigns, the Management Committee passes to exercise the functions of directors. They act as the governing body of the club. These people will have two functions that mark the statutes: First, ensure that the club continues to function, pay payroll, let the sports activities and the whole club work.”
Trayter : “The second task of the Commission is the convocation of elections. In their meetings they will have to establish an electoral calendar where there will be some organs, the Electoral Board, and after the establishment of this calendar, with the ‘timings’ that the Statutes mark, an election will be called.”
Trayter : “Have the rest of the bodies in the club left? No. The members of the Board have ceased but the Statutory Ethics and Transparency Commission, the Social Commission, the Penyes Commission and the Sports continue to function. In the same way, another important body, the Foundation’s board of trustees, with changes of directors by members of the management company, continues to function.”
Trayter : “I want to thank the club’s workers for what they do every day to make the club move forward. These are the governing bodies that we have. The club continues to function the same, within the difficulties we are experiencing. In the history of Barca, there have been 9 Management Commissions.”
Trayter : “I want to take advantage, with the permission of the president, to ask the Barcelona community that we have been an example of democracy and coexistence, a sports example and of transparency. I want to ask that the Management Commission can work and that we can be calm through these months, so that we call the elections and trust that the one who wins is our president who we will support as we have always done.”
Carles Tusquets, President of the Members Commission, now took over the proceedings.
Tusquets : “The names are chosen by the Catalan Ombudsman and by myself. Due to these circumstances we have thought it appropriate that there should only be members of the economic commission and of the discipline commission, it is more timely and more independent. There is a thank you for the members of the board who have resigned, for their cooperation, in case we need them to better understand the circumstances that were taking place in the club. Especially in the economic sphere, which is what worries us most in the short term.”
Tusquets : “We have also asked that a person from the transparency commission be appointed, without vote but with a voice, we are very interested in transparency in front of all partners. That is why we have been working intensely since yesterday.”
Tusquets : “The economic situation is not comfortable and we hope that as long as we are here we can redirect everything we can.”
Tusquets : “We want to call the elections as soon as possible, and I underline the word ‘possible’. What we will not do is accept pressure to be at inappropriate times. None of the manager have aspirations to enter a Board of Directors, and we want that the next meeting has the maximum possible support and that goes through maximum participation.”
Tusquets : “Next week we will call a more detailed appearance to explain the viabilities we have found so that this club continues to be the best in the world.”
Tusquets : “I want to thank all the workers and athletes of all sections for their efforts and ask them to be aware of the club’s situation, and we will work on that. Thanks to all the former managers, those who resigned two days ago and those who have passed before.”
