| Sandro Rosell | |
|---|---|
| 39th President of FC Barcelona | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office July 1, 2010 |
|
| Preceded by | Joan Laporta |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alexandre Rosell i Feliu March 6, 1964 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Alma mater | ESADE |
| Website | http://www.sandrorosell.com/ |
Alexandre Rosell i Feliu[1] (Catalan pronunciation: [əɫəkˈsandɾə ruˈseʎ i fəˈɫiw]; born March 6, 1964 in Barcelona, Spain), commonly known as Sandro Rosell, is the current president of FC Barcelona. With an MBA degree from ESADE, Rosell is known for being the running mate and senior adviser of Joan Laporta during the presidential elections at FC Barcelona in 2003. Moreover, he is renowned for bringing Ronaldinho to the Camp Nou in the same year.
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Rosell and Joan Laporta joined forces in 2003 to support the latter's bid to become President of FC Barcelona. After winning by a huge majority, Rosell attempted to make the election pledge of bringing David Beckham to the club a reality. At the time, Rosell claimed he was "80% confident" that the move would take place.[2] However Beckham chose to go to Barça's fierce rivals Real Madrid.[3]
As a result of Beckham's snub, the Barça board opted to try and sign Brazil star Ronaldinho from PSG. The Catalan club were in direct competition for the Brazilian with Manchester United who wanted him as a replacement for the England international. At a time of financial uncertainty, the capture of Ronaldinho was crucial for Barça.
It is widely believed that Ronaldinho signed for Barça instead of the Premier League Champions because of his friendship with Rosell, a former Nike executive in Brazil.[4]
Rosell resigned as vice-president of sports in June 2005, despite Barça winning the title that year, accusing Laporta of failing to carry its original plan for the club.[5]
In 2006, Rosell released a book Benvingut al món real (Welcome to the real world), just as Barça were on the verge of making it to the Champions League final, which they eventually won. It was seen as a direct attack on club president Joan Laporta after it promised to reveal the problems that had caused Rosell to resign.[6]
When the opportunity for elections at FC Barcelona arose in 2006, due to a successful challenge by club members who claimed Joan Laporta had completed a four year term, Rosell did not put his name forward to challenge his former friend. When asked if he would put his name forward in future elections, Rosell replied that he would "never say never".[7]
After his resignation, Sandro Rosell was a critic of Joan Laporta, criticizing his handling of problems at Barça and claiming that in "all areas of the club" there has been " absolute anarchy".[8] However, he did support Laporta's choice of manager in Pep Guardiola saying that it was "how it should be"[8] and also supported Laporta's decision to sign an agreement with UNICEF.
Rosell announced on June 27, 2008 at a press conference that he intended to campaign for the presidency of FC Barcelona in 2010 after the end of the contract of Joan Laporta. At the time, Laporta was about to face a no-confidence motion brought about by Oriol Giralt which Rosell supported. Laporta himself accused Rosell of being behind the motion.[9] When asked why he would be voting against Laporta, Rosell said that it was because the current management "is not independent or transparent or democratic".[10] On June 13 Rosell was elected President of FC Barcelona with more than 60% of the vote of Barça's club members.[11] He replaced outgoing President Joan Laporta on July 1, 2010.
| Preceded by Joan Laporta |
President of Barcelona 2010– |
Succeeded by Incumbent |