FC Barcelona is saddened by the passing of Eduard Portela Marín. Born in Barcelona on 30 August 1934, he was one of the great figures in Barça basketball. He served as head coach from 1964 to 1967 and returned to the club in 1972 as technical secretary. During this second spell, he twice took charge of the first team: at the end of the 1976/77 season, replacing Todor Lozic, and again in 1978/79, succeeding Eduard Kucharski. On the latter occasion, he led the team to victory in the Copa del Rey.

Portela left FC Barcelona in 1981 and became general manager of the ACB a year later. In 1990, he was appointed president of the organisation. From 1996 to 2016, he served as president of the ULEB and was subsequently named honorary president of both the ACB and the ULEB. On 16 April 2023, during a Barça–Real Madrid basketball game at the Palau Blaugrana, he received a well-deserved tribute from the club.

Portela can be regarded as one of the key modern architects of Barça’s basketball section. He was a strong advocate of youth development, bringing in coaches such as Miquel Nolis and Jaume Berenguer, and helping to recruit young talents who would go on to become club legends, including Epi, Sibilio and De la Cruz.

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