Toni Freixa, candidate to the presidency of FC Barcelona, presents his sports project.
The candidate for the presidency of FC Barcelona, Toni Freixa, has presented his sports project today, which includes the creation of a technical committee responsible for professional football and another committee of wise men who would ensure the excellence of La Masia.
"This is a revolutionary and necessary proposal," announced Freixa, who has put his sports project "at the service of the club" in case he is not elected as the new president of Barça. This technical committee would be composed of the responsible for professional football, the scouts, the director of La Masia training, the coach of the first team, and the sports vice president of the club.
As for the committee of wise men, it would be headed by Laureano Ruiz, the man who established, several decades ago, the method of recruiting young footballers that the club has followed, with remarkable success, in recent years.
Freixa would love for the former coach of the 'Dream Team', Johan Cruyff, to also be part of this committee of wise men: "It would be an honor, not just for me, but for Barça to be able to count again on his criteria in this committee," he added. Regarding the responsible for professional football, the former spokesman of the board of directors explained that he has already decided who would occupy the position, "but now is the time to explain the ideas and not to reveal names."
In any case, Freixa made it clear that "the model of signing players for 180 million euros every summer is something that Barcelona cannot afford" and that is why the sports project must be based on the training of young players.
In this regard, David Vilajoana, the head of the football department of his candidacy, has presented an "ambitious project," according to him, to make La Masia "the best football training school in the world."
Regarding this, Vilajoana aims to implement a stable, lasting, and exportable method abroad, "certified by an external audit that creates a Barça quality seal."
According to Vilajoana, "the fact that a talented player like Gerard Deulofeu is about to leave for Everton confirms the failure of the current model" of La Masia, which, according to him, is not being given the importance it truly deserves for the club.
Subjecting the management of the young footballers' factory to the control of the assembly of members and creating a coaching school to "perpetuate the model" in all categories of the club are other proposals of Freixa's candidacy, who has revealed that if he is elected as president, Barça "will no longer negotiate with representatives of players under 16 years old."