FCBARCELONA.CAT

18.05.2008 23:59

Laporta: “Expectations have not been met”

www.fcbarcelona.cat

Chairman Joan Laporta admits that this season “expectations have not been met” after keeping faith with the same players and coaches who had previously won two Spanish League titles and one Champions League.

Speaking in an interview with TV3, the chairman of Barça looked back over the season and the position of some of the players. He accepted responsibility for prior decisions.

Below is a summary of some of the issues touched on in the interview:

General review

“We haven’t achieved the results we wanted to and the expectations that we all have have not been met.”

Ronaldinho

“Ronaldinho didn’t leave last summer because at that time the coach, the director of football and myself, after speaking with the player, thought that he deserved another chance. He was excited about becoming the world’s best player again. We thought he deserved it.”

“I am responsible for everything, but there is a structure in place which means that I am not in charge of supervising the personal and private lives of the players. Ronaldinho has been injured, he’s been away with Brazil quite often… But it has not been a question of attitude. Things haven’t turned out the way he wanted them to. He has been really enthusiastic.”

“His professional and private behaviour has always been the same and has produced results. Later on, if his private life has gone a different way, well I don’t know that. I know that people say that. What I know straight from the player is that he wants to get back to the rhythm he had before.”

“We’ve told Ronaldinho that he needs new challenges. When you finish an era it’s normal that the leading figures should leave. I very much hope that Ronaldinho can leave as Frank Rijkaard has done and that we can remember him as the man who gave us two Leagues and one Champions League title… I am very grateful to Ronaldinho. Last year we thought that it might be the year to sell him, but given his enthusiasm and the appreciation that a club like FC Barcelona needs to have, we decided to let him stay on.”

Txiki Begiristain

“I’ve mentioned things to him many times and we speak every day. We’ve spoken a lot and Txiki has spoken with the coaches every day. Txiki has done his job the best he can. Txiki having to leave has not crossed my mind.”

Conversation with Rijkaard

“The critical point came when we lost to Madrid at home. That day we spoke with the coach and told him he had a month to turn the season round. I remember that the month and a half following that conversation saw a long unbeaten run. There was a reaction. We decided to be consistent and not sack him. I have responsibility for that decision.”

Joan Laporta’s public behaviour

“I look at these pictures (at the World Supporters’ Clubs Meeting) which I hadn’t seen before, and I don’t recognise myself. I’m under a lot of pressure which is hard to put up with. It comes from lots of sources. We’ve had microphones in the boardroom, personal threats, being followed by detectives, recently someone has paid to have my computer stolen, and some people have tried to twist my image. And maybe unconsciously that ends up coming to the surface. I think that over the last five years my behaviour has been proper.”

“I appreciate that this may have hurt some fans and I apologise if that has been the case.”

“(On seeing his reaction in the directors’ box at Old Trafford). I really do not recognise myself in these pictures. Two cases in five years, obviously it’s not good but my conduct in general has been proper.”

“You are what you are. I have a way of doing things and I’ll continue to have it and I’ll try to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

Vote of no confidence

“The vote of no confidence is legitimate.”

“It’s being done by the same people who wanted to disqualify us in 2006. Now they are trying to force us out again.”

“We need some tranquillity to take important decisions. These things (the vote of no confidence and the attempted disqualification) do not give you that tranquillity.”

Rijkaard to Guardiola transition

“Rijkaard didn’t leave last summer because we had faith in his professional ability. Last season was the first time he had had a setback, and this was a coach who had given us things to be really pleased about. He wanted to continue and we thought that that was the best thing to do.”

“We thought we had to be consistent and Rijkaard had to finish the season.”

“At the start of the year, in February, I said to Frank Rijkaard that if one day he stopped being the first team coach that his replacement would be Guardiola. And Frank, who is a wonderful person, said that we could count on him if that was what we wanted as a member of the technical staff or whatever. The handover has been reached through consensus.”

Samuel Eto’o

“Eto’o is a player who is loyal to the colours, who sacrifices himself, who people like. The day he goes he deserves a big send-off and to leave with full honours.”

Thierry Henry

“Henry has scored 19 goals. Henry has found himself in a situation which is different to what was expected. He didn’t come to be a regular in the starting XI straight away as we already had Eto’o, Messi and Ronaldinho, but injuries changed everything. It wasn’t expected. The same has happened to Bojan, who’s played a lot of games. That wasn’t on the menu either.”

Authority in the dressing room

“That season (2006/07) produced a series of problematic incidents which we are still living with. It was the coach who said that the best thing to do was not to stir things up (after Eto’o’s comments in Vilafranca) and instead to get everything back on course. I remember saying to Frank Rijkaard that if he wanted the player punished, we’d do whatever he said. He felt, in line with his character, that that wasn’t necessary.”

“Rijkaard was losing his moral authority and that meant that situations came up which made things worse. We are all responsible.”

Sandro Rosell

“There are no differences. Ronaldinho belongs to Barça. No-one (asked if Ronaldinho belonged to Sandro Rosell) can claim individual merit. There are always those of us who have taken the lead on these questions, but the merit belongs to the entire Board, the coach and so on. If I’ve learnt anything, it’s that you need a dream and teamwork.”

“I have my own personal opinion, but I believe that Sandro Rosell would not be a good chairman for Barça.”