Barça

Power shifts in Joan Laporta's inner circle

Barça's management is undergoing various changes before the start of a new season.

BarcelonaA year ago, at the meeting with journalists to privately explain Barça's figures, two members of the club were present: director and treasurer Ferran Olivé and executive Manel del Río, director of the corporate area. Both spent a morning presenting the conclusions and answering the many questions from those present, even exceeding the allotted time. After the meeting ended, some journalists commented in the corridors. the good impression that Olivé had made on them for his ability to didactically explain economic issues (despite his medical profession) without hesitating when asked questions.

Thus, those present were not surprised that Olivé enjoyed prominence at the delegate members' assembly held a few weeks later. However, in recent meetings between the club and journalists, only Manel del Río has repeated. Sources within Barça's leadership admit to ARA that Olivé has been seen less frequently in Aristides Maillol's offices lately. It is clear that Olivé, president of the Hestia Alliance group, has lost relevance at Barça in recent months, despite the fact that in the executive organization chart he continues to report directly to Laporta as treasurer.

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Saudi Arabia is interested in Yuste

Olivé's position at Barça isn't the only one that has lost strength among the board members in recent months. Rafa Yuste's position, the first vice president of sport, is also in question. Especially since he has received interest from Al Nassr of Saudi Arabia in acquiring his services. Cristiano Ronaldo's team, according to the Sport, wants him as CEO. Barça assures ARA that, if Yuste finally decides to leave, Laporta, his lifelong friend, will not be an obstacle. Al Nassr, according to The Confidential, has also reportedly knocked on the door of Óscar Mayo, the current general director of business and operations at Atlético de Madrid and, previously, Javier Tebas's right-hand man in La Liga.

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In any case, with one year to go until the elections, the possible departure of Yuste, according to the club, would likely lead Laporta to seek reinforcements on the board of directors. During the lawyer's second term, Barça has already lost its vice president of economics, Eduard Romeu; its vice president of marketing, Juli Guiu; and Jordi Llauradó, the executive responsible for Espai Barça. The most likely candidate to replace Yuste should he leave is Joan Soler, the executive responsible for youth football, who has regained influence in the sports department after a period of disagreements with Laporta.

The importance of an old friend from Laporta's political days

The night of November 29, 2010, wasn't entirely a happy one for Laporta, despite the fact that Barça had beaten Real Madrid 5-0 24 hours earlier. "Now you should go talk to Artur Mas [the winner of those elections] to make a deal," people close to him recommended after winning four seats in the Catalan elections leading the Catalan Solidarity for Independence coalition. "No, I won't," Laporta replied. Within that coalition was the political party he created at the end of his first term at Barça, Catalan Democracy. Laporta's political adventure ended some time later, but some ties from that time remain strong.

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This is the case with César Martínez, then treasurer of Catalan Democracy and currently a key player in Barça's purchasing department. "Everything goes through him and he has always been a trusted person of Laporta's," sources with influence at the club told ARA. Martínez arrived at Barça in March 2022 to reinforce the work of Maribel Meléndez, who was then the corporate director. Meléndez's departure in February 2024 meant that Martínez's responsibilities expanded, to the point where they now have their current central importance. But the bond between Laporta and Martínez dates back even before the political era. Specifically, to Laporta's first term at Barça. According to the representative Bayram Tutumlu, who He denounced the current leader for non-payment of an intermediation with Uzbekistan, Martínez received €180,000 from the Asian country under a package of agreements that Laporta admitted in court.

Martínez currently works as the right-hand man for Joan Sentelles, another old friend of Laporta's, in Barça's purchasing department. Both have a lot of power when it comes to making decisions about Barça's most important project of the 21st century: the remodeling of Camp Nou. Martínez was also one of the people in charge of Barça Mobile, the club's new mobile operator. This project was surrounded by controversy because it was partly based on in a meeting between the Catalan company Parlem and the Barcelona club during February 2024. However, on November 21 of that same year, the club announced that Barça Mobile would be a reality through New Era Visionary Group, a company based in the United Arab Emirates, owned by Moldovan businessman Ruslan Birladeanu, which opened its subsidiary in Barcelona on April 3, 2024, weeks after the meeting between Barça and Parlem.

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