"I didn't come to Sant Andreu to make money."

BarcelonaWhen Taito Suzuki (Shizuoka, 1978) saw a photograph in the press of Takefusa Kubo with tears in his eyes after his team's elimination from the Tokyo Olympics, he decided to invest in Mallorca, the club where his compatriot played at the time. He did so through his company, Taica Corporation, a Japanese multinational with more than a thousand employees and prominent in the technology sector. Originally from Shizuoka, known as Brazil of Japan Because of his passion for football, Suzuki's life has always been linked to the beautiful game. As a youngster, he played it – "I was like a Japanese Drogba," he says, laughing – and as an adult, he became involved by sponsoring Shimizu S-Pulse, his hometown club, and the team at Xuo University, where he studied.

In November 2024 it went a step further and bought the Sant Andreu, a historic club in Catalan football. "Why Sant Andreu? Well, because it's in Barcelona, ​​​​that was important; because of its great fan base and its deep roots in the neighborhood, and because it's a club with growth potential," Suzuki explains in a conversation with ARA from the Narcís Sala stands. Sitting next to him is Sabadell native Tomeu Ferran, a translator, Suzuki's right-hand man and the main reason the Asian businessman landed in Palomar. He was finally convinced to acquire the stake from Manuel Camino, the former owner, after witnessing his first match at Sant Andreu's stadium, against Espanyol B: "I was moved by the atmosphere, the familiarity that was felt, and the communion between the stands and the players, whistling player after player. It's amazing that in the Fourth Division, football can be experienced like this."

From the Second RFEF to the Second Division?

"I've told the players and coaches that this year we must do everything possible to advance to the First Division of the RFEF," says the club's president while glancing sideways at the training of one of the youth teams. And he doesn't hide the fact that his main objective is to bring Sant Andreu to professional football. The challenge is to achieve this without losing the neighborhood club essence that captivated him, one of the fans' fears. "Together we will make it possible," says Suzuki, who lives in Japan but has surrounded himself with professionals who are fully familiar with the club's idiosyncrasies and manage its day-to-day operations from Barcelona. This is the case with Tomeu Ferran and José Manuel Pérez, with whom Taito jokes, always smiling, as he walks through the Narcís Sala halls. A member of the club for almost 25 years, José is the club's new general manager.

"Since the club was acquired, there has been a dramatic change in business terms. Internally, the club has become much more professional. We're more people, and everything is cleaner: before, everyone did everything, and now everyone's roles and responsibilities are clearly defined," reveals sporting director David Mordillo, who has now also signed David Mordillo. In terms of facilities, the investment is conditioned by the stadium's municipality. However, several improvements have been made, some of them invisible to spectators, which make working in the offices more comfortable: computers, air conditioning, chairs, etc.

"When he arrived, he conducted an anonymous survey of the employees to find out what we wanted to improve. Within a few days, practically everything was fixed," Mordillo notes from his office. If he achieves promotion, the workhorse will be the artificial turf of the stadium, which should be replaced with natural grass. "We're not worried. When the time comes, we'll find a solution," Suzuki says. For now, the club is focused on the Second Division and its debut, this Saturday at Andratx (6:00 p.m., Eivo TV).

The Japanese general who inspires Taico

"When he was about to die, I went to visit my grandfather in the hospital. 'You have to think about the future, there's no need to come to my funeral. Use the time for the business and for your employees,' he told me from his bed. That was the last time I saw him," Taico Suzuki explains with emotion. His grandfather, a general in the Japanese army—at the age of 20, he had 200 soldiers under his command—with very strong values, left a deep impression on him. He was the one who founded Taica Corporation—since Shizuoka is a land of citrus fruits and many companies make preserves, one of the first products he designed was a machine for peeling mandarins and oranges—and who instilled in him that he should be involved in the land that fed him. That's why Suzuki has financed the construction of several small soccer fields, Cruyff Courts-style, in disadvantaged areas of Cambodia, where he has a production plant and a chain of restaurants specializing in udon noodles, with five locations.

"He also always told me that I should work and act for the good of Japan," he adds. This teaching is the reason why Taito, as a child, dreamed of becoming president of his country, invested in Mallorca, and now, as owner of Sant Andreu, wants to bring young Japanese players into the first team of the four-barred league—six players were on trial at the club this summer—"as long as they have the necessary footballing level." Suzuki is clearly determined to grow Japanese football with the help of a truly unique Catalan club, which he wants to return to the Second Division under the clear premise of not taking it away from its fans: "I didn't come to Sant Andreu to make money."