[Funari]

Due to university-related reasons I did not have the time to follow the latest news from Barcelona, the recent weeks. So perhaps somebody could help to refresh my knowledge about the things going on at Barça by answering a few questions:

1. When are the presidential elections? Who's going to win? What is the potential winner going to change?

2. Can somebody tell me more about our new coach Serra Ferrer? How old is he? For which teams did he work during his coaching career? What were his successes?

3. What about Richard Dutruel? In this forum, four weeks ago, somebody posted that Barça has signed Dutruel from Celta. Is this transfer DEFINITELY perfect, or was it just wild speculation?

4. What about Vítor Baía? Is he still under contract with Barcelona? When will his contract expire? Will he still play for Porto next year, or his he likely to return to Camp Nou for the next season?

5. What makes you so sure, that Ferrer is going to introduce a 3-4-1-2 system next season? Did he say that explicitely?

6. Do you think, there is a chance to see Figo in blue and red next year, or do you consider Figo's transfer to Santiago Bernabeu as nearly perfect?



Thank you in advance for the answers!

---------------
Visca el Barça!!!

 

[CarlosMiguel]

Funari,

Some tough questions but i will try my best:

1. The elections are July 23rd. The candidates are Joan Gaspart, Lluis Bassat, and Joan Castells. The most likely winner is Gaspart. If he wins, I don't think we will see much change.

2. I can't tell you how old Serra Ferrer is for sure, I believe he is in his fifties. He used to work with Real Betis and was the person who recommended Rivaldo to Barca. He has good connections with players in Barca and also in Betis, especially Alfonso, who he may bring to the team. He has worked for the past few years with Barca reserves.

3. Dutruel has been signed by Barca. This was a deal that was completed during last season so he will be here this season.

4. Baia is still under contract with Barca until i think 2002. Porto wants to get him on loan again, but Barca only wants to let them have him again if they pay transfer fee. I don't know where he will be next year.

5. I believe that SF actually plans to play a 5-3-2 that turns into a 3-4-3 when we have posession of the ball. This was published in Mundo Deportivo a few weeks ago. Check past topics for when we talked about this.

6. I don't even want to speculate about Figo.

 

[Funari]

Thank you very much Carlos Miguel! But I have another question: Where could I get a picture of the new Barça team kit for the next season?

 

[CarlosMiguel]

You may be able to find it at official website. http://www.fcbarcelona.com They have store section now and they said that they would soon have the jersey available. I haven't checked the site in a little while so it may already be up. It's a nice jersey. We have gone back to the true azulgrana this year. The jersey also has a collar, which i personally like more than the no collar jersey.