The fervour that has surrounded these elections for Barça evokes these of 1978, with which there are parallels. The Agustín Montal period was ending, Cruyff had introduced his departure for the tip of the season and the membership was burdened by a debt much like its annual funds. And there was an environment of political effervescence. The Structure was current (December 1977) and Catalonia demanded a Statute of Autonomy. For the primary time, not a restricted variety of delegates voted, however reasonably all companions over 21 years of age with 4 years of seniority. A census of 53,688 voters. They had been the primary elections so I used to be holding a soccer membership in Spain.
Regardless of the problem of the duty, as much as seven names had been dealt with, together with Miró Sans, a Falangist, who had been the president who constructed the Camp Nou and who lived via the golden age of Helenio Herrera. He quickly resigned, understanding that it was not his time. How others would resign, for lack of help.
Víctor Sagi was a transparent favourite, proprietor of a really highly effective promoting company that labored with Barça and was current within the claims of cinemas all through Spain. He was the son of Sagi Barba, glory of the membership within the twenties, in flip the son of a well-known baritone and brother of a zarzuela singer. He mounted a terrific candidacy, stuffed with names of weight and affect. He had all the things going for him, however he unexpectedly resigned for causes that have by no means been clarified. The whole lot was diminished to 3:
Nicolau Casaus, 65 years outdated, companion 7,202, textile industrialist, president of the influential Peña Solera. Condemned to dying after the conflict for his militancy in Esquerra Republicana, he was saved by his uncle, Modrego Casaus, bishop. He spent three years in jail.
José Luis Núñez, 46 years outdated, companion 21,597, born in Bilbao, however raised in Barcelona. Proprietor of the necessary building firm Núñez y Navarro, they known as him the king of chamfers as a result of he purchased all of the chamfered plots on the market. The posters of his building firm flooded town.
Ferrán Ariño, 48 years outdated, companion 27,037. He was within the candidacy of Víctor Sagi and took the step to the entrance when leaving this. Pharmaceutical businessman, very concerned within the Catalan exercise of the time as promoter of the Nice Catalan Encyclopedia and advisor to Avui. With Montal he had been president of Barcelona Atlético, the place he included Laureano Ruiz, whom many nonetheless take into account the origin of the successes of the culé quarry. Ariño’s years on the head of the subsidiary fed the primary workforce lots: Tente Sánchez, Calderé, Corominas, Martínez, Estella, Manolo, Albaladejo, Rojo, Clos, Lobito Carrasco …
Two of the candidates represented the nationalist aspirations of the second. Núñez, quite the opposite, flagged the necessity to hold Barça out of the political battle, whereas presenting himself as a breakthrough with the vices typical of soccer administration previously, which he proposed to alter to fashionable enterprise methods.
Núñez had in his favor, aside from his status as a businessman and his air of a brand new man, uncontaminated by the errors of the previous (the others couldn’t say the identical, and he hit onerous there), the division of the nationalist vote between two candidates, one in all a younger man concerned within the actions of his time and one other of a prestigious veteran, who was pulling the oldest companion. There have been actions to unite Ariño and Casaus, however they didn’t work.
The marketing campaign divided the press and the road. It was very harsh, you possibly can say that even disagreeable. The elections had been on Could 6, the eve of a Barça-Valencia. 54 poll packing containers had been positioned on the Camp Nou, open from 9:00 to 22:00. 41% of the census voted, which was thought-about good participation, given the dearth of behavior. The recount gave a really shut victory for Núñez, with 10,532 votes, in comparison with 9,537 for Ariño and 6,020 for Casaus. It was clear that the division of the nationalist vote benefited Núñez, whose victory created nice irritation amongst Ariño’s supporters, who when the winner arrived on the Camp Nou, they welcomed him with arms raised, singing Cara al Sol.
When shortly after Nicolau Casaus accepted Núñez’s provide to hitch his board as vice chairman, many added two plus two and had been outraged. And the rumors that Sagi would have retired after receiving an nameless risk with the specter of making public a file of non-public content material gained power if he didn’t withdraw. This might be a recurring rumor in successive elections during which some candidate, or aspiring to be one, withdrew on the fly.
Núñez stayed 22 years at Barça. He arrived when Bernabéu was nonetheless alive and left when Florentino entered. His lengthy tenure, unmatched within the membership’s historical past, nonetheless creates controversy.
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