BARCELONA – Joan Laporta ratified his “total support” for Ronald Koeman as Barcelona coach, advancing that next week “there may be news” regarding the renewal of young promises of the club, clarifying that “the conversations with Pedri and Ansu Fati, as will happen shortly with Gavi and he surprised by announcing that the first team will “most likely” move to the Johan Cruyff stadium for a season due to the Camp Nou works, expanding the capacity of the field where Barça B and female plays “to 50 thousand seats” .
In an interview with Rac 1, Laporta announced that the Johan Cruyff stadium is the most feasible alternative to transfer the first team for a season while the Camp Nou works are carried out, over the option of the Montjuic Olympic Stadium.
“We have the possibility of the Olympic Stadium, but I like the one of the Johan Cruyff more, where you can raise the visor with additional stands,” he said, announcing that an expansion is being contemplated “to 50 thousand seats (currently its capacity is for 6 thousand people ), having to do rotations with the subscribers (more than 80 thousand), who will understand perfectly what it will represent for the club “.
Speaking of the Camp Nou, Laporta indicated that “the third and first stands will have to be done again. The project will last three or four years and will cause an expansion to 110 thousand spectators, with new VIP boxes and hospitality”, warning that the final work “varies Bartomeu’s project, which was already obsolete.”
FINANCING
To carry out such an ambitious project, Joan Laporta’s board of directors negotiates a financing of 1,500 million euros with Goldman Sachs, “which has shown great interest in the project. Last week we had a meeting, they are very interested and want to join us” .
“There are other interested investors, but Goldman knows the project very well. We are talking about between 800 and 900 million euros to which we must add the Palau and the campus, which brings us to 1,500 million” said the Barça president, explaining that in Goldman Sachs “understands that the way to manage the project is that once it is built we return the financing”, indicating that, therefore, it cannot be understood “as a proper loan” and warning that, in any way, “it must be approved by the assembly … And if he does not authorize it, it would be a very hard blow “.
In this sense, the leader informed that with the remodeling the Camp Nou will carry an advertising name and that it should “be understood that the new stadium will be a generator of income. The name will have a sponsor, because all the assets must be used”, warning that the clubs Historic players play at a disadvantage because “state clubs can hold out much better.”
“All this is necessary for the viability of the club. The new Espai Barça will generate a lot of income and when we present the new stadium project, people will realize the impact for the city and for the club,” warned Laporta, who left Of course, the Bartomeu board of directors “did not do their homework” and assured that carrying out the works “is essential.
On the possibility that Goldman Sachs obtained some type of control over the club for its financial support, the president of Barça was resounding in his refusal. “He does not have control or decision-making power over this operation because he trusts us. The maximum is trust, but Barça will command,” he proclaimed, stating that there will be no “real guarantees because it is the business itself that returns the credit, although the Financing has its fees. They will not exploit the field and the decision-making power will be ours, the decisions are made by us. “
RATIFY KOEMAN
“Koeman is our coach and he stays”, proclaimed the president of Barça in an interview with RAC1 in which he warned that the Dutchman “deserves a margin of confidence. When things don’t go the way we want we are all annoyed, including him, but you have to value everything and listen to the people you trust. So I come to the conclusion that I must act as I did with Rijkaard in 2003 and give him all my confidence. “
Ronald “is culé, he loves Barça … And you notice that. We are talking about a myth of Barcelona that came at a time of maximum difficulty”, revealed Laporta, who discovered that at the time “I spoke with him, I asked him if he trusted in the team and he said yes, but that the injured needed to be recovered. I saw that he wanted to continue at all costs and it is only fair that he does so because, in addition, he has a valid contract. “
Asked by Xavi Hernández or all the names that have appeared in recent weeks, the president of Barça was conclusive: “We are proud to have Koeman as coach and to give him the confidence he deserves to reverse the situation. Here people can think that there is improvisation, but I have never said that we did not want Koeman and I think it is the most convenient decision right now “.
“I have spoken with Xavi recently because we are friends … in the same way that I recently spoke with Pep (Guardiola). I like to tell them things but it would not meet the margin of confidence that we give Koeman if we started talking about candidates” , proclaimed the leader, who did not clarify whether the Dutchman has unlimited credit and even less for the next season, summarizing that “I must be weighed in making decisions … I have done what I have been advised”, and recognizing that Jordi Cruyff “has played an important role in this confidence margin”.
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