FC Barcelona press release 23 March

The Board of Directors, following on from their meeting on Monday, would like to congratulate the first team for their season so far and to encourage members to continue to offer their support to the team for the forthcoming weeks during which there will be vital matches in all three competitions.
During the board meeting the following agreements have been reached:

• To confirm that the Santiago Bernabéu would be the most adequate venue for the Spanish Cup final, given that it would be ground which could hold the greatest number of fans.

• The contracting of the multinational company Ernst&Young to oversee and audit the building works of the new Miniestadi, in line with the first stage of the new Espai Barça, which will be presented on Friday 27 at 12.00pm CET in the press room at the Ciuitat Esportiva Joan Gamper.

• Renewal for another year of the contract with Panasonic TV Devices as a global partner

Legal request

On another matter, the Board of Directors discussed the opening of a court case against FC Barcelona, its president Josep Maria Bartomeu and its ex-president Sandro Rosell, with regards
to the Neymar case. On this matter the Board would like to make the following observations:

1. Both the Club and its president reiterate their total innocence before a matter which only has financial not criminal liability, the legal differences of which should be settled on an administrative level, not in a National Court.
2. The legal profession has commented on the process and its consequences, considering it to be inappropriate. The haste with which the judicial authorities have acted in this matter is also a subject that has been considered inappropriate also. The legal representative of all the involved parties will present their corresponding appeals immediately, denouncing the circumstances and the lack of any tangible crime.
3. The president of the Club, before what is considered a “great injustice”, reiterates the fact that he will continue with his intention to stand in the forthcoming elections for the Club Presidency and continue to lead the organisation with the same belief in leading by example, exercising financial control and respecting the members that he has shown until this day, focusing every effort on maintaining the Club as a reference point on a global scale
4. The Board would like to thanks the members for their understanding and support during the current time.

Ramon Cierco scales down responsibilities

Finally, the Board of Directors have accepted a scaling down of Ramon Cierco’s responsibilities with the director relinquishing his role in youth football and the FC Barcelona Foundation. Ramon Cierco will continue as a member of the Board of Directors.