Bartomeu: 'We have a sporting crisis, not an institutional or Club one'

The FC Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu spoke on Tuesday on Barça TV+ to cover the currents issues at the Club. Bartomeu highlighted that "we have a sporting crisis, not an institutional or a Club one, the model and the style of play is the same but there are aspects that have to improve." More highlights from the interview with the blaugrana president: 

Sporting situation

"There is a sporting crisis. We have a football crisis; not an institutional crisis nor a crisis of model. The model and the style of play is the same, but there are aspects of the model that have to be improved. We have to strengthen and develop with a more physical football. We need talent and a footballing idea but also other physical aspects that perhaps before we did not take into account." 

"The responsibility is shared. Who has most responsibility is the Board of Directors and their president. We are all responsible for the result in Lisbon. After Liverpool I thought it was right to retain confidence in Valverde and the players. I consulted everyone and I believed that we had to give those players and coaches a chance. Then there was no need for new blood but now, yes. We all agree it is the moment to do it. The players are regularly consulted, the employees and the executives but the one responsible for the sporting crisis is the president." 

Elections 

"It is a decision from the Board from a focus of responsibility. The league starts in five weeks and we don't want to bring forwards the elections as we still have the pandemic. Leaving in that way would have been greatly irresponsible. We will be able to make the transition to the new Board calmly. There was debate and self-reflection and everyone was in agreement. Barça needs to the club to adapt to the pandemic." 

"We are in an exceptional situation in our lives, the pandemic. That affects the season and the one that is coming. We have a plan of action and we have to keep making decisions. We have to face up to the Barça of the future and the pandemic situation." 

"We have been at the Club 10 years and we have accumulated 200 million in profits. Since March we have lost 200 millions even though we have worked so that the deficit is less than 200 millions. We have to present a balanced budget without losses." 

Refreshing the squad

"It has been an enormous generation of players. We have enjoyed a lot with them with lots of trophies. I don't to speak ill of anyone, I want to elevate the figure of these players, who have made the best club in the world. We have been winning trophies non-stop for 12 years. Now is the moment to start to say goodbye, with all the honours, to some of those players." 

"The renewal of the squad will be as wide ranging as necessary so that the sporting project is a success. We have seem with time, after Anfield, that it was the moment to do it. However, I decided to give the coach and players another chances. You have to remember that last season we won the league, we got to the final of the Copa del Rey and we reached the semi-finals of the Champions League." 

"The renewal is not just about changing players, it is changing part of the structure of the football team. The renewal will go deeper than the players. Barça has money but it has a problem with the wage bill. Covid has meant a reduction in income and for that reason we have to reduce the wage bill to bring in new players. in the 20/21 season we will lose 320 million euros of income and the effect of Covid will be more serious than that of the season that has just finished." 

Espai Barça

"The Barça of the future passes through here as we have refurbish Camp Nou. It is a Club project. We have excellent financing in place with Goaldman Sachs. The project will continue forward. With the next Board we have to discuss the project to see if next summer we can start the work on the stadium. We are the only big club in Europe that does not have a new or refurbished stadium."