FC Barcelona • B2B
As a meeting point for people and cultures from around the world, FC Barcelona has a played a vital role in putting Barcelona and Catalonia on the global stage.
In November 2019, you launched a book to celebrate the 120th anniversary of FC Barcelona. What is the aim of this book?
JOSEP MARIA BARTOMEU I FLORETA In 2019, we celebrated three important milestones for FC Barcelona: the 120th anniversary of the club, the 40th anniversary of La Masia, and the 25th anniversary of the Barça Foundation. We wanted to commemorate all three with a special book. Hundreds of books have been written about Barça and the players who have played for the club, but for the 120th anniversary we wanted to produce a book that explains what Barça is all about. We wanted to show the club’s history, connecting our origins with our extraordinary present and the exciting future ahead. We wanted to explain, in a visual way, the values that have guided us and how Barça transcends what the team achieves on the pitch. Through this book, people will get to know what FC Barcelona is and what it represents today, so that they can understand why Barça is still ‘més que un club.’ The story of Barça is one of persistence and healthy ambition. The most important thing is that Barça has always been faithful to the club’s ideological roots and values that drove it from the beginning. We will continue to follow the 120-year-old traditions that were set by Joan Gamper, such as democracy, Catalan identity, and dedication to multiple sports, social commitment, and universality.
What do you think has been the role of Barça in promoting the Barcelona and Catalonia brand internationally?
GERARD PIQUÉ BERNABEU Barça has played a role of paramount importance in promoting Barcelona and Catalonia. It is one of the most important football clubs worldwide and has filled up stadiums in every country it has played. This, in part, has been achieved because international footballers have played in the team, and they are icons in their respective countries and worldwide. The name of the team, Barça, is directly linked to Barcelona and has contributed to the city’s and the region’s standing on the international stage. We are talking about a club that is more than 100 years old and whose history is intertwined with the city it belongs to.
What are the main characteristics of the future Camp Nou project?
JMBIF Espai Barça is undertaking the transformation of all of FC Barcelona’s venues in the district of Les Corts in Barcelona and the construction of Johan Cruyff Stadium at Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper in Sant Joan Despí. It includes the construction of the new Camp Nou, the New Palau Blaugrana, Barça Campus, and the Johan Cruyff Stadium. The new Camp Nou will be a state-of-the-art covered stadium for approximately 105,000 spectators. It will be built in phases, and integrated in the Espai Barça Campus. In addition, the new facility will be sustainable, smart, and green. The Espai Barça project will generate new opportunities for the club’s social and economic development. It will also increase the value of the club’s assets and recover architectural excellence by creating 21st century venues. The construction of the future Camp Nou will start in summer 2020, and we hope to complete it by 2024.
Beyond a football player, you are also an entrepreneur and founder of Kosmos and eFotball. pro. How did these two projects come to be, and how do you plan to use Kosmos to contribute to the tennis world?
GPB Kosmos was established in 2017 to invest in projects related to sports, media, and entertainment innovation. In 2018, we created the first league for eFootball. pro. During the last season, six teams took part in it, namely FC Barcelona, AS Monaco, Celtic FC, FC Nantes, Schalke 04, and Boavista FC. That number has increased to 10 for the league in 2019, with Manchester, Bayern Munich, Juventus, and Arsenal coming on board. I also had an idea with a friend to transform the Davis Cup. It was an idea I had had in mind since the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. We spoke with ITF, and after several rounds of meetings with them and the rest of federations in the world, we managed to change the format of the Davis Cup, which was approved in August 2018. Since then, everything has been fasttracked. A team was created within Kosmos Tennis to manage the project. The team comprises experienced people from the tennis world, such as Galo Blanco, director of competition, and Albert Costa, director of the tournament. We also have people that have been working in other sports, which is what distinguishes our organization. The first edition was celebrated in November 2019 in Madrid and was a success. We are conscious that there is room for more improvement, and we will be focusing on that in the next edition. ✖