2023-09-28 07:50:09
BarcelonaWhile Barça’s first men’s football team rides more or less at a good pace under the baton of a renewed Xavi Hernández and with the reinforcement of two interims as well gifted as João Félix and João Cancelo, there is a less shiny reality that beats in the Barcelona offices: the flight of talent. Mateu Alemany and Markel Zubizarreta are the two most recent examples – and also the most media-driven – of a trend that extends to the non-sporting departments of a club that has been without a CEO since the departure of Ferran Reverter and is commanded by an executive president, Joan Laporta, who defends “family management” of a budget close to 1,000 million per year. In the departments of Arístides Maillol and Sant Joan Despí there are people who relate this way of governing to the increase in voluntary leaves that the club has registered in recent months, 23 in the form of leaves of absence which, in practice, are definitive resignations.
The last spontaneous departure – and consolidated, because there is no leave – of the non-sporting offices is that of Àlex Barbany, a member of the Blaugrana management committee since Laporta’s electoral victory, whom he accompanied in campaign events as a quality as an expert in the search for new income at a time of serious economic crisis. As a result of this collaboration, the first position of trust he had was that of manager of revenues (Anglo-Saxon formula to refer to the tickets), but a year later he moved to the Espai Barça area to be its executive director and lead its commercial side. The change confirmed the loss of confidence in Ramón Ramírez, responsible for the project who had entered the position of Bill Mannarelli a year earlier – the reference heritage executive of Josep Maria Bartomeu’s board of directors – and was part of the shake-up internal that Laporta made in the organizational chart, placing himself in the highest part and appointing Joan Sentelles and César Martínez, two friends from youth and old business partners, in charge of the purchasing area, in charge of leading the bidding process for the works at the new Camp Nou.
The main chair of Espai Barça burns almost as much as that of the communications director with Rosell or the sporting director with Bartomeu. But in the case of Barbany, according to several witnesses at the ARA, the voluntary resignation has rather fallen due to its own weight, since in practice he had lost decision-making power in the project and was tired of certain internal dynamics. “He painted more when he took office than now”, analyzes a person close to him. “Àlex is leaving without having found his place at Barça”, explains another source, who at the same time praises the already ex-Barcelona player for his great oratorical ability and because he gave presentations in perfect English, something that was highly valued in the time to sell the project to the investors participating in the financing of the new stadium. “He leaves very happy for the experience, but also relieved,” explains another ex-teammate.
Barbany has reached a financial agreement with the club to undo an employment relationship of two and a half years. In cases like yours, the deal is concluded with figures comparable to those of an unfair dismissal and with a strict confidentiality commitment.
No relief at Espai Barça, for now
In response to questions from this newspaper, Barça confirmed that, at this time, there are no plans to hire what would be the fourth person in charge of Espai Barça from March 2021 because the work teams related to it “they already work”. In practice, therefore, Plaça de Barbany is amortized without the consequences being noticed, since the specific weight of the project has been falling for months on three people who are most trusted by Laporta: the aforementioned Sentelles and Martínez , from the purchasing area and in charge of the relationship with the construction company Limak and the other suppliers; and Lluís Moya, engineer expert in structures and key piece to obtain the final building permit from Barcelona City Council. All three are friends and have a personal relationship with the president. Maribel Meléndez, corporate director, is also aware of the evolution of the Espai Barça, although with less intensity since its financing was closed.
Sentelles, Martínez, Moya and Meléndez remain as the top executives responsible for the most important heritage project in Barça’s history. All of this with the supervision of Laporta and Elena Fort’s management, noted internally in fact as the replacement of Jordi Llauradó, former director responsible for Espai Barça who resigned at the end of last season due to deep disagreements with the awarding of the works for the new Camp Nou.
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