Sandro Rosell's review in 14 sentences

The FC Barcelona president has looked back at the last few months and has discussed some of the main stories affecting the club at the moment

www.fcbarcelona.cat

Club

18 Dec 13

“We are very happy to have hung onto our lead. Staying top of the league is even harder than getting there”
“The Ministry of the Interior and the Guardia Civil have explicitly disassociated Leo Messi and his family from any legal enquiries. However, the attack on the player and his family has not stopped”
“The National Court has asked us for information about the transfer of Neymar. We are delighted to be able to provide them with all the documents they need”
“As for the information coming from the European Commission, I have to say that Barça complies with Spanish law, which states that a club does not have to become a public limited sports company if it is solvent. FC Barcelona has not received funds of any type from any official bodies”
“Those are the facts. All of this has happened after FC Barcelona have led the way for the last few years. Such caustics clearly make people think and I like to believe that the sum of these events is coincidental and that there is no organised persecution of any kind”
“Our aims are to continue being as transparent as ever, to keep growing and stay top”
“On January 20, at an Extraordinary Board Meeting, we will be making the most important decision at the club for fifty years. The Board has to decide on the future of the stadium and we’ll be making the most sensible and sustainable decision. Then the members will be able to voice their opinion, which is what will count. We said we would tackle this decisive issue, and we are indeed doing so”
“I think we’ll have to build a new stadium, either here, using the current structure, or in the Diagonal. We have to compete with the other great clubs around the world over the next 30 years and we need a stadium that can generate more income. There are many stadiums that are more internationally renowned than our own. We have to invest in order to grow and not get left behind. A bit of wood and paint is not enough”
“I can confirm the renewal of Andrés Iniesta’s contract. This is part of our plan to strengthen the first team and be able to maintain the leadership that Barça started with Guardiola, continued with Tito Vilanova and is now consolidating with Tata Martino”
“Martino has already denied that he wants to leave in 2014. It seems we always have to declare our innocence and deny these stories that appear in the media, in this case in Argentina”
“I’d be worried if it was true but I haven’t heard him say such a thing. Puyol is one of the best captains ever, at least in my generation, and I’d be worried if he ever said he wanted to leave. He is a leader and does a lot for the team whether he plays or not”
“We haven’t spoken to Messi but the door to our office is always wide open. I have no doubt that Messi should be the best paid player in the word because he’s the best player on the planet”
(On the referendum on Catalan independence of November 9, 2014) “I know what I’ll be voting for, but Barça will not vote because it is not a person. It is formed by a set of people with different opinions”
“My wish for 2014 is for everyone at Barça to put the club’s interests before personal interests. We have a lot to play for.”

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