President Suñol disappears from the Camp Nou box
With the reopening of the stadium, official references to the Barcelona leader assassinated in the Civil War have been erased.
BarcelonaBarça matches are a major draw for the thousands of people who visit Barcelona. For several years now, tourists have become a vital economic driver for the club's sustainability, whether through the sale of individual tickets to the general public or through package deals. VIP valued in thousands of euros. In fact, the strategic plan to repay the nearly €1.5 billion debt for the Camp Nou renovation depends decisively on this branch of business, based more on fans than on long-time members. But there are other occasional visitors who, instead of generating revenue, provide other types of benefits, such as identity and engagement on social media. This select group also includes the guests who parade through the VIP box match after match. For example, on the occasion of the recent Barça-Mallorca match, Oscar-winning actor Rami Malek enjoyed the show and put on photocall from the VIP box with Joan Laporta, who experienced his last match as president before resigning to focus on the electoral process to renew mandate.
Since returning to Camp Nou in November, these cherished photos have been taken alongside a Barça flag, a mannequin wearing the official Barça jersey, and a backdrop in the club's colors, topped with the inscription: "Spotify Camp Nou Presidential Pavilion." The disappearance of Josep Suñol from this panel following the stadium's reopening has gone largely unnoticed within the club, which is currently focused on the season's progress and the elections scheduled for March 15. Suñol, a lawyer and Catalan nationalist politician, was elected president of Barça in July 1935 and a year later, at the start of the Spanish Civil War, was executed by Franco's troops in the Madrid town of Guadarrama. He was 38 years old. His remains, along with those of his two companions, are still missing, even as the 90th anniversary of his murder approaches. In 2015, under the presidency of Josep Maria Bartomeu, Barça decided to name the Camp Nou's VIP box after him.
11 years later, the photocall The space in the presidential box where Malek posed a few days ago—and which other celebrities will soon visit—has gone from honoring a deceased Barcelona president for his staunch Catalan and democratic convictions to prioritizing the commercial agreement with the multinational Spotify. Symbolically, this space in the VIP box is the most visible and consistent element for honoring Suñol's memory. But the disappearance of the former president from mentions in the Camp Nou's presidential box doesn't end there. An internet search confirms that the last time Barça included his name in a publication on the official website about an event held in the stadium's presidential box was... in January 2023 on the occasion of the signing of the works contract with Limak. However, until the closure for the start of renovation work in May 2023, the photocall with Suñol at the top. Since then, and taking into account the exile of more than two seasons at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium, the VIP area of the renovated Camp Nou is defined in official public media as "Spotify Camp Nou Presidential Box," "Spotify Camp Nou Box," or simply "the VIP box." On the Telegram channel and the mailing With journalists, you have to go back to February 2023 to find the last reference to Suñol.
Barça's official position on the 'disappearance' of Josep Suñol
The reason for this change in policy is due to commercial considerations. Sources familiar with Barça's agreement with Spotify assure ARA that the Swedish company is contractually obligated to have its name appear in the name of the Camp Nou presidential box. Furthermore, it's worth recalling that the club sent out circulars signed by Laporta requesting all media outlets to include the sponsor in every reference to the stadium, a request that all Barça spokespeople, from directors to athletes, follow to the letter. This newspaper has also contacted official sources within the club to ascertain the reasons for Suñol's institutional disappearance. The response from the Barça offices is that the current name of the box is "Llotja Presidencial Spotify Camp Nou" (Spotify Camp Nou Presidential Box) and that once the stadium's construction is complete, a new name will be considered, including the one chosen in 2015, which remained in use until the stadium's closure for renovations. The protocol department has made no mention of President Suñol.