Rosell: “The Catalonia Supercup is a great chance to help Catalan clubs”

The Catalonia Supercup was presented on Wednesday, and will be contested by Barça and Espanyol next July 31 at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium. The event was attended by the president of the Generalitat, Artur Mas; the president of the Catalan Federation, Andreu Subies; and the presidents of FC Barcelona and RCD Espanyol, Sandro Rosell and Ramon Condal.

Great new formula

The Catalonia Supercup is a new competition promoted and organised by the Catalan Football Federation. The idea is to organise a derby between the Catalan clubs in the first division, in this case Barça and Espanyol, as a top class match to play for the first title of the season. Speaking on Barça’s behalf, its president said “it is a pleasure and an honour to be able to compete in competitions organised by the Catalan Federation … the formula the Federation has come up with is the best one, it’s perfect”.

Two desires

Rosell said he hopes the game will be “a festival for the Catalan people … the stadium should be full.” He also spoke of the importance of fostering football and competitions in the country. “We want Barça and football fans from all over Catalonia to come to the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium that day because we see it as a way of helping the Catalan Federation, and it can then use those resources to help other Catalan clubs. We all have to work together to make sure that this is a success”.

Best team possible

In consideration of the date, July 31, Rosell pointed out that the members of the squad that didn’t start their holidays until just after the Copa del Rey will have only returned to work a day before. But he did promise that Barça will send “the best possible team” to the Catalonia Supercup. “We will take whatever players Tito Vilanova thinks we should. We’ll try to make sure they are the best, but always respecting the fact that they’ll only just be back from their holiday.”