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Sporting agenda for November 14 and 15

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There is activity in football and other sports this weekend at FC Barcelona / FCB
The football first team is taking a week off, but there is plenty of other sporting action at FC Barcelona to keep an eye on

There is no Liga action for the first team this weekend because of the international break, but there is plenty else going on at the club, and a lot of it is happening in the Palau Blaugrana.

Here’s a round-up of the highlights on Saturday and Sunday (all times CET).

Saturday 14 November

U19 FOOTBALL (4.00pm): RCD Espanyol v FC Barcelona. A local derby with second place in the Division of Honour up for grabs for the winner. It’s being played at the Ciutat Esportiva Dani Jarque in Barcelona (metro: Verneda).

HANDBALL (7.30pm): FC Barcelona Lassa v HC Vardar PRO. The Group B leaders from Hungary, who are just one point ahead of Barça, visit the Palau in the Champions League as the group stage reaches its midway point.


Sunday 15 November

WOMEN’S FOOTBALL (12.00pm): FC Barcelona v Collerense. After a fine performance in the Women’s Champions League, Barça host the side from Mallorca who are currently bottom of the First Division table. Xavi Llorens’ side are third.

BASKETBALL (1.00pm): FC Barcelona Lassa v Río Natura Monbus. After a dramatic midweek win in the Euroleague, it’s back to Liga Endesa action. Barça (5-0) entertain the side from Santiago de Compostela (3-2).

FOOTBALL (5.00pm): FC Barcelona B v Badalona. After beating Girona in the Copa Catalunya midweek, the side coached by Gerard López take on a local rival that is two places and two points above them.

ROLLER HOCKEY (8.00pm): FC Barcelona Lassa v Noia Freixenet. Second in the league as things stand, Barça will be hoping to put some distance between them and fourth placed Noia.


FC Barcelona shows its support for Paris

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#PrayforParis (WEB)
The Club, its president Josep Maria Bartomeu and several members of the professional teams have sympathised with the victims of the attacks in the French capital First vice-president Jordi Cardoner to attend minute’s silence called by the Generalitat de Catalunya and Barcelona City Council

FC Barcelona has expressed its solidarity and sympathy for the victims of the attacks in the city of Paris on Friday night. The Club, its president Josep Maria Bartomeu, and several members of the professional teams have published messages of support on social networks.

This Saturday, flags shall be flying half-mast and there shall be a minute’s silence before all events on the Club premises.

The Palau Blaugrana shows support for the victims of the attacks in Paris

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Fans and players observe a minute of silence at the Palau Blaugrana prior to the match to show support for the victims of Friday's attacks in Paris, France. / VICTOR SALGADO - FCB
Players and fans express their condolences by observing a minute of silence before Saturday's Champions League handball match

After FC Barcelona had earlier in the day expressed the Club's deepest sympathies for the victims of the attacks that took place in Paris on Friday evening, the Palau Blaugrana took the Club's official response one step further.

Prior to Saturday evening's VELUX EHF Champions League handball game between Barça Lassa and Vardar PRO, the arena held an emotional minute of silence in memory of the scores of victims stemming from the events that unfolded less than 24 hours earlier in the French capital.

In fact, a minute's silence in response to the attacks was observed before all sporting and institutional activities that were held throughout the Saturday at the Club's facilities.

Earlier in the day, at 12.00pm CET, the Club's first vice president Jordi Cardoner was on hand for an act of condemnation jointly convened by the Government of Catalonia and the Barcelona City Council at Plaça Sant Jaume in the centre of Barcelona. FC Barcelona also declared that all its flags would be flown at half staff throughout the day.

Indonesia’s famous Halilintar family visits FC Barcelona

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The famous Indonesian family takes in the Camp Nou Experience / FCB
"Abie is like Messi” say the children as they enjoy the Camp Nou Experience stadium tour. “He never gives up. If he falls, he gets up again"

"Wow!" That was the reaction from the Halilintar family when they walked into the presidential lounge at the Camp Nou. Jordi Penas, director of the FCB Museum was there to welcome them. After an exchange of gifts, the family, who always travel together and work hand in hand as a team, took the tour of the Camp Nou. As they enjoyed a closer look closer at the 'home' of the Barça players, they were even able to pose for photos with the Champions League trophy, part of the famous treble won in 2015.

Lenggogeni Faruk and Halilintar Asmid and their eleven children, better known as the ‘Generation Halilintar’ are a phenomenon in their native Indonesia with their musical and many other talents. They are in Barcelona for two days, and besides visiting such iconic landmarks as the Sagrada Familia and other Gaudi buildings, they also visited the Camp Nou, home of their favourite football team.

“The values in our family are similar to those of FC Barcelona, such as teamwork, respect, always trying and not giving up” says Halilintar Asmid, the family’s father or 'coach', known as ‘abi’ to his children. “It’s just like 'tiki taka', and involves the same alignment and understanding.”

“That's why we are 'more than a family!” adds their mother, Lenggogeni, or ‘umi’.

Fans of Messi

They are being accompanied on their trip by their good friend Jesus Conte, along with his wife Carmen and daughter Claudia. ‘My family, my team’ is the perfect phrase to describe this unusual family, in which each member has their respective duties and where everyone works together to achieve the same goal. And the children clearly idolize their parents. "Abi is like Leo Messi” says Tariq Lightning, who is a huge fan of the Argentinian. “He doesn’t give up easily. If he falls then he gets up again."

But his older brother, the 'captain', idolizes one of Barça’s legends, Ronaldinho. "He was the player who made me fall in love with football” he explains. “I was still at junior high school when I saw him playing for FC Barcelona. And I’ve been a Barça fan ever since.”

FC Barcelona social networks ready for the Clásico

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It's going to be a huge week for Barça supporters / MIGUEL RUIZ - FCB
Barça is calling on all followers of its social networks to join in with the actions being set up ahead of Saturday's visit to Real Madrid and to share them with all their friends

The Barça social networks are getting in the mood for the Clásico and with just a few days to go before the showdown at Real Madrid, fans are being asked to join in with a number of special activities.

One of the actions that has already generated 1.5 million ‘likes’ is the avatar with the Barça crest that fans can use on their Facebook profiles. A new avatar is about to be unveiled that Barça supporters can also use to personalise their Facebook profiles and get warmed up for the Clásico.

Choose the Clásico hashtag

Barça is also inviting supporters to pick the hashtag that will be used to support the team on Saturday at the Santiago Bernabéu. In a Twitter survey, fans can choose between #FCB and #MesqueunClub. The most popular choice will not only be used to group together all tweets about Barça, but will also make the image of the Barça crest appear in the form of an emoji.

FC Barcelona and Real Madrid will both be using the #ElClasico hashtag to refer to all content connected with the game and also to generate conversations between the clubs. And not forgetting the #FCBlive hashtag to keep up to date with everything that happens on the day of the match.

Support Barça on Instagram

Another social network where the Clásico is going to be one of the hottest topics this week is Instagram. Fans all around the world can show their support for the team by publishing photos on the site and sharing them with the #FCBWorld hashtag.

All the Clásico on Barça 2.0

Barça has more than 40 social profiles on ten different channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LINE, YouTube, Dailymotion, Vine, Sina Weibo, Tencent Weibo, WeChat), and all of these are going to be packed with information about Saturday’s game in Madrid. We’ll be working day and night to bring you all the news, including loads of multimedia content, before, during and after the big match.

BARÇA 2.0

FC Barcelona receives visit from the United States ambassador to Spain

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From left to right, Marcos Mandojana, Jordi Cardoner, Josep M. Bartomeu, James Costos, Carles Vilarrubí and Manel Arroyo / GERMAN PARGA - FCB
President Bartomeu acts as host to James Costos during his visit to the Camp Nou in connection with the opening of the Club’s new offices in New York

The United States ambassador to Spain and Andorra, James Costos, joined by the consul general of the United States in Barcelona, Marcos Mandojana, paid a visit to the Camp Nou on Tuesday. The two diplomats were welcomed by the Club president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, along with the first vice-president Jordi Cardoner; international and institutional vice-president Carles Vilarrubí; and the marketing and communication vice-president Manel Arroyo.

The visit is in association with the imminent opening of a new permanent FC Barcelona office in the city of New York, on which the ambassador congratulated the Barça president in the presence of the director of the American office in that city, Arno Trabesinger. As well as visiting the facilities, Costos was also able to get a much better idea of matters related to the past and present of the Club, as well the different connections between FC Barcelona and the United States.

At an official reception in the Presidential Lounge in the stadium, Josep Maria Bartomeu presented the ambassador with a framed replica of the cover of the Club dossier produced on occasion of the famous tour of the United States in 1937. The guests were then shown around the ground, starting with the first team dressing room and followed by the players’ tunnel and a walk on the famous pitch, where several photographs were taken to commemorate the event. They then spent some time in the FC Barcelona Museum, where Jordi Cardoner was at hand to explain the meaning behind some of the most important exhibits.

Big in America

The visit ties in with the opening of the new FC Barcelona office in the United States, scheduled for early 2016. This will make Barça the first Spanish Liga team to have a permanent office in the country, located in the Manhattan district of New York, right beside Central Park.

The office forms part on the on-going process of internationalising the Club, the aim being to raise FC Barcelona’s profile in key countries and territories, not just commercially, but socially and institutionally too, by building relationships with sporting, non-sporting and governmental bodies. And the United States is one of those priority markets, although the New York office will also be used as the base for promoting Barça throughout North, Central and South America.

FC Barcelona already has a huge presence in the Americas through its supporters clubs (penyas), its FCBEscola academies and through collaborations with its Foundation. Six of those supporters clubs are based in the United States: The Official NYC FC Barcelona Penya; FC Barcelona Supporters Club Miami; Penya Barcelonista Chicago; Penya Barcelonista Washington DC; Penya Barcelonista San Francisco and the Los Angeles FC Barcelona Soccer Foundation. There is also an FCB Escola centre in Florida, and in the summer of 2015, a total of 23 FCB Campus were held. Elsewhere in the Americas, FC Barcelona has 24 supporters clubs, 4 FCBEscola centres and 11 FCB Campus.

The Foundation also has very close ties with the Americas. It has a strategic alliance with UNICEF, which has its headquarters in New York, and also with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, based in Seattle, and has collaborated with charity projects in Miami, through the Fundación Pies Descalzos. Elsewhere in the continent, the Foundation has worked with the Inter-American Development Bank, and has set up projects in Mexico with the Fundación Rafa Márquez, in Brazil with Neymar and Edmílson’s foundations, and in Argentina through that of Leo Messi.

Statement by Josep Maria Bartomeu, President of FC Barcelona

"The opening of an FC Barcelona office in New York is a strategic decision in response to the increased support for and popularity of football in the United States. This office will extend the internationalisation and positioning of the Club in the American continent. The idea is for this delegation to spread the Barça name in this territory, as has been happening with regard to Asia through the office in Hong Kong, which is already operational".

Statement by James Costos, US ambassador to Spain and Andorra:

"The fact that FC Barcelona has opened an office in New York is very good news as this will make the ties with the United States even stronger. I am sure that the city of New York will welcome you with open arms. Barça is very well known in the United States both because of its history of sporting success and because of its widespread work for charity, such as the recent campaign in favour of the refugees, something with is very deep-rooted in North American culture”.

FC Barcelona organise the first symposium on technology and sport

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Sport Technology Sport
International experts will be at Camp Nou to discuss the latest innovations in the sector

The Club will welcome this Thursday 19 November, between 9.30am and 6.00pm CET, the first symposium of applied technology in which renowned world experts will take part. It is an even directed solely at professionals from the area, be it from the world of sport or industry. Given the profile of those attending, the symposium would like to have an important impact internationally, especially in the USA and Asia.

The objective of this event, which Barça is organising jointly with the ESADE Business School and Oracle, one of the leading firms in the area of technology, is to offer a world forum for debate on the subject of the impact of technology and data analysis on sport and business performance, focusing on football.

The CEO of the Club, Ignacio Mestre will be given the task of opening the event by welcoming those attending. The day’s activities will be divided into two distinct parts: the first focused on applied technology in sporting performance and the second on applied technology in business models.

Amongst those attending are specialists from different areas. From the world of sports there will be representatives from NBA sides such as the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic, from NFL teams the San Francisco 49ers, the Miami Dolphins and the Dallas Cowboys: from European football, Paris Saint-Germain, AS Roma and Liverpool. The Spanish Football League (LFP) will also be represented as will the Bundesliga.

Note: It is an event directed solely at professionals from the sector, it is not open to the media.

Great success for #FCBSportsTech at FC Barcelona

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Sports Technology Symposium at FC Barcelona / GERMÁN PARGA - FCB
Mobile first, Smart Stadia and Big Data concepts set the agenda of the first Sports Technology Symposium

Technology and sports come together at FC Barcelona. The mobile first, Smart Stadia and Big Data were the defining subjects of the morning session of the first edition of the Sports Technology Symposium organised by Barça and that will take place at the Club every November.

The forum brought together professionals from both sectors who enjoy shared experiences and debating about the impact of technology on sporting performance and the business possibilities that the digital world offers.

The idea is to convert the forum into a world renowned event in the field. Despite being an event directed solely at professionals from the sectors of sport and business, it has generated considerable interest.

Representatives from club such as Paris Saint Germain and AS Roma and NBA franchises such as Orlando Magic and the Boston Celtics, have explained the details of their respective business strategies.

The aspect of business and technology is centred on concepts that in the last few years have become common in the language of communication and digital marketing.

During the first session of the symposium, Jeff Lutes of the Orlando Magic and Bill Ramos of the Boston Celtics put forward the ‘mobile first’ strategy in sports communication. Luis Cardo from Telefónica threw some light on the concept of Big Data applied to sport: the telecommunications company are able to follow the profile of fans, their habits and opinions he commented.

The content generated by users and the idea of bringing clubs closer to their fans is the backbone of the philosophy of communication in the world of professional sport.

Performance and technology

In the area of Performance and Data Analytics, representatives from the Bundesliga, from the University of Harvard and from the University of Pisa have brought analysis data to improve professionals’ sporting performances.

The event continues with a second session in the afternoon.

You can follow the symposium live with the hashtag #FCBSportsTech


FC Barcelona successfully hosts first sports technology symposium

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Josep Franch, Esade; Nacho Mestre, FC Barcelona, and Félix del Barrio, Oracle, during the symposium / GERMAN PARGA - FCB
Concepts of ‘Mobile first’, ‘Smart Stadiums’ and ‘Big Data’ on the agenda of the first edition of the Symposium on technology and sport

The first Sport Technology Symposium, hosted by FC Barcelona, has been a huge success, where total of 320 professionals from all around the world were able to enjoy talks by representatives of the business and digital departments of different clubs and North American sports franchises. The forum featured representatives of the NBA in the form of the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic; of the NFL, with the San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys; as well as European football, with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, AS Roma and Liverpool in attendance, as well as representatives of the Spanish Liga and the German Bundesliga.  

The event, aimed at professionals from the sector, reasserted the impact of technology on the world of sport. It specifically focused on three of the most essential trends for understanding the present and future of the sports business: Big Data, Smart Stadiums and Mobile first. These were the issues that the speakers dealt with along with the general public, who were able to join in the conversation via social networks using the #FCBSportstech hashtag and whatsapp.

The event was organised by FC Barcelona in collaboration with the ESADE Business School and Oracle, one of the leading companies in the technology area. he idea being to offer a global forum to debate technology and data analysis topics in relation to sport and business performance, with a particular focus on football.

This forum for debate and business shall be held every November on the FC Barcelona premises, and aims to become a benchmark for assessing the changes in the business paradigm that have been brought about by the use of technology in professional sport. The next Sports Technology Symposium will be held on 10 and 11 November, 2016.

The Club’s CEO, Nacho Mestre, opened the day by welcoming the guests. The day was divided into two well-differentiated components. The first was focused on technology applied to sporting performance and the other on technology applied to the business model.

Statement by Nacho Mestre, CEO of FC Barcelona:

“Through the success of the Sports Technology Symposium, Barça has once again demonstrated its capacity for the organisation of quality events involving leading opinions and the professional sports sector. Under the Barça name, professionals from every continent have come together to analyse the impact of technology and sport.

The scope of the changes that technology has caused in the professional sports business means that forums like the one we have inaugurated today shall be established as new references for sports business and communication”.

FC Barcelona opens Snapchat account

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Snapchat (ENG)
The application that lets users see photos and videos for a limited time will give Barça users content from a different perspective Fans will be able to participate directly in the creation of content during games

FC Barcelona continues to grow in the field of social media and has opened up an official account on Snapchat, a free app that lets users share multimedia content with others for a set time. Barça fans can now follow the Club’s official account — FCBSnap — to receive up-to-date video and pictures that offer a different point of view, an inside look at the Club’s day-to-day happenings.

Snapchat can also be used to work with live events, offering users the ability to create content during games.

Download the Snapcode

 


FC Barcelona's Snapchat account is being launched just ahead of the first El Clásico of the 2015/16 season, underlining the Club’s commitment to global expansion through social media.

Snapchat is FC Barcelona’s 15th different social media channel, adding to already existing accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, YouTube, Dailymotion, Vine, Periscope, Line, Sina Weibo, Tencent Weibo, WECH and Blackberry Messenger.

FC Barcelona continues to break records on social media and has now exceeded 219 million followers, more than all other European football clubs and American sports franchises.

BARÇA 2.0

Extraordinary security measures for FC Barcelona v AS Roma

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Aerial view of Camp Nou / FCB
FC Barcelona and the Mossos d'Esquadra establish special security protocol for Tuesday's Champions League match at Camp Nou

On the occasion of the coming UEFA Champions League match between FC Barcelona and AS Roma on Tuesday, 24 November at Camp Nou, FC Barcelona and the Catalan police force, the Mossos d’Esquadra, have established a set of extraordinary security measures to increase the safety of those in attendance.

In addition to all the habitual security protocols, the Club and the Mossos d’Esquadra have established the following extra measures:

1. Access to the stadium will open three hours before the game. It is recommended that all fans arrive at Camp Nou with plenty of time.

2. To enter the stadium grounds all spectators must have a ticket to the game or a membership card and a season pass. In no case shall anybody be allowed access to the grounds with only their membership card.

3. Backpacks, suitcases, fanny packs or large bags will not be allowed into Camp Nou.

4. Beginning at 2.00pm on Tuesday, 24 November, the Museum and the FC Megastore will be closed to the public.

5. Vehicles authorised to enter the stadium premises will also be required to have the corresponding accreditation, without exception. All occupants of these vehicles must also be carrying their corresponding accreditation, game ticket or membership card and season pass.

6. The Club’s car parks that are open to the public will be closed beginning at 8.00am on Tuesday, 24 November. At that time, any vehicles still there will be towed, except for authorised coaches that may be there until 2.00pm.

7. Parking along the perimeter of Camp Nou will be prohibited beginning at 8.00am on Tuesday, 24 November.

8. The UEFA Youth League match between the youth teams of FC Barcelona and AS Roma, to be played at the Miniestadi on Tuesday at 4.00pm, will be moved up to 12.00pm due to operational reasons.

FC Barcelona and the Mossos d’Esquadra appreciate the cooperation and understanding of members and fans regarding these additional steps, which are necessary to improve security for everyone.

FC Barcelona agenda for November 21 and 22

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As usual there's plenty to look forward to on Saturday and Sunday / FCB
Real Madrid v FC Barcelona is obviously the highlight, but here's a reminder of the other main matches in football and other sports this weekend

There are no doubts about the biggest event of the weekend for FC Barcelona. It’s the showdown at the Santiago Bernabéu on Saturday. But there are plenty of other sporting goodies going on, and here’s our weekly round-up of the pick of the bunch (all times CET).

Saturday 21 November

U19 FOOTBALL (12.00pm): FC Barcelona v  Damm. After losing the derby to Espanyol last week, Gabri’s side will be looking to get back to winning ways in the league.

WOMEN’S FOOTBALL (4.00pm): RCD Espanyol v FC Barcelona Femení. After qualifying for the Champions League quarter final midweek, the Catalan derby is another huge game, with Barça currently third in the table. The venue is the Ciutat Esportiva Dani Jarque.

FOOTBALL (6.15pm): Real Madrid v FC Barcelona. The first team has the chance to go six points clear the top of the table in one of the biggest fixtures in world football.

ROLLER HOCKEY (9.00pm): Igualada HC v FC Barcelona Lassa. Barça are currently joint second in the table, while Igualada are struggling down in twelfth.


Sunday 22 November

FOOTBALL (4.00pm): CE Sabadell v Barça  B. After three defeats in a row, the Barça reserves are four places from the bottom of the table – their hosts are just one place above them. 

HANDBALL (5.45pm): HC Vardar v FC Barcelona Lassa. After moving top of their Champions League group with a win against the Macedonians, Barça now travel away to the same side.

BASKETBALL (6.00pm): Laboral Kutxa v FC Barcelona. After registering their biggest ever score in the Euroleague, 107 points against Karsiyaka, on the domestic front, Barça (6-0) are in Vitoria to face another side that have got off to a strong start in the Liga Endesa, Laboral Kutxa (5-1).

FC Barcelona press release on security arrangements at the Club's ground

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FC Barcelona Board of Directors press release
The highlights of the Board meeting held at the Club on Monday

The Board of Directors, in their meeting on Monday at the Club Offices, have revised the security protocols that are currently being applied at the stadium and they have approved improvements in certain aspects.
They have also been informed about security arrangements for Tuesday’s game in the Champions League between FC Barcelona and AS Roma and they have revised the unusual measures which will be applied and that were approved last week between the Mossos d’Esquadra (local Catalan police force) and the Security Department at the Club. These measures will be applied also in the league game at the weekend at Camp Nou between FC Barcelona and Real Sociedad.

Also, the Board have approved the Club’s participation in the new projected European basketball competition proposed by the Euroleague from the season 2016/17.

Approved also was the renaming of the Camp Nou Llotja Lateral as the ‘Sala Berlin, following the tradition of naming spaces after cities where the football team have won Champions League titles.

The Board of Directors will hold a meeting on Sunday at the La Masia Oriol Tort Training Centre to analyse the Strategic Plan that members of the Club Direction Committee are working on to be implemented for the next five years. On Sunday 29 November 2015 FC Barcelona will celebrate its 116th birthday.

Special FC Barcelona offers for Black Friday

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November 27 is a date for your diaries!
Enjoy discounts of up to 67% on tickets for the Camp Nou and Palau Blaugrana, and a range of different club products. Just fill in the form on the club website!

FC Barcelona is celebrating 27 November, or Black Friday, by offering supporters the best discounts of the year. These special offers are applicable to all the different products listed below and that are exclusively for sale online.

- The Liga matches between FCB and Real Sociedad (28/11) and Deportivo (12/12)

- The Copa del Rey match between FCB and Villanovense (2/12)

- VIP Pack for the Barça v Deportivo match, including VIP Panoramic seats, lunch, a guided visit to the Museum and a Barça shirt.

- Games in the Palau Blaugrana:

  • Futsal: FCB Lassa v Palma Futsal (28/11)
  • Handball: FCB Lassa v KS VIVE TAURON KIELCE (5/12)

- Camp Nou Experience (Tour & Museum)

- FC Barcelona online store

- Barça GamePASS (the official on demand platform for watching videos of all Barça matches)

BLACK FRIDAY BUY NOW

FC Barcelona sends Happy Thanksgiving wishes to its American fans worldwide

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Thanksgiving 2015 correcte
The Club has many reasons to be thankful in 2015, including four new titles and an excellent start this fall

Thanksgiving is once again upon us. And this year, 2015, the FC Barcelona family has many things for which to be thankful.

We are thankful for another record season in which we won an unprecedented second treble — sweeping the Spanish La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League titles, as well as the UEFA Super Cup.

We here at Barça are also thankful for the excellent beginning we have been afforded so far in this campaign, in which we currently find ourselves at the top of the league table and have qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League by winning Group E.

And, finally, we are thankful to you, our fans. As always, you have been unwavering. We are thankful for the tremendous support you have given us, especially during our summer tour in the United States, which took us to both the West and East Coasts, 'From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans white with foam.'

From the blaugrana family to yours:

FC Barcelona wishes all its American fans, both in the United States and abroad, a happy and healthy Thanksgiving.


The grandson of the former player and president between 1903 and 1905, Artur Witty, recalls the early years of the club

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Michael Witty with Josep Maria Bartomeu and Jordi Cardoner at Camp Nou / GERMÁN PARGA-FCB
The grandson of the former player and president between 1903 and 1905, Artur Witty, recalls the early years of the club's history

Michael Witty proudly remembers his grandfather Artur Witty (1878-1969), a key figure in the origins of FC Barcelona which today, on 29 November, celebrates its 116-year anniversary.

Witty was at Camp Nou on Saturday for Barça’s 4-0 win over Real Sociedad and praised the club’s recent managers: “I congratulate the club for the spirit of the squad that it has had since Guardiola, with Tito (Vilanova) and now with Luis Enrique”.

Michael's grandfather, Artur, played an important part in Barcelona’s early years. He made his debut on 24 December 1899 in a 3-1 win over FC Catala and formed part of the team which earned the club its first trophies: Copa Macaya in 1902, Copa Barcelona in 1903 and the Catalan Championship in the 1904/05 season. As a player, the Englishman wore the blaugrana jersey on 74 occasions between 1899 and 1905.

[[CITA_1]]

It was a time when football was completely amateur. “My grandfather spoke to me a lot about that time, how sport was becoming a business and how they had to pay for everything. He spoke a lot about Gamper as the spirit of the club. Thanks to him, everything could evolve. They were good friends and played golf with my father Fredrick who, in the ‘30s, was Catalan champion and also played for the national rugby team”.

Michael Witty, ponting to his grandfather's name who was a former FC Barcelona player and president.

He would listen to his grandfather telling him stories about the club’s early years, when FC Barcelona had  yet to become known as ‘Barça’: “The majority of its founders and first team players were from families who had arrived in Barcelona to create infrastructures, electricity, the railway. Many were engineers, working in the bank or in insurance. My grandfather was good friends with Gamper, and had a brother, Ernest Witty, who was also an FC Barcelona tennis player and the same year founded RCT Barcelona”.

“There are no words to explain how my grandfather would see today’s club. He would be unable to believe what Barça has become. He went to watch games at Les Corts but not to Camp Nou, he was very old and did not go there,” Michael explained.

“They were different times, and he never stopped believing that football was a sport. For him it was important to learn to lose and accept that, if you lost, it was because the opponent was better. If a player falls, he has to rise again, like Messi.”

Witty added that his grandfather would have been a big fan of the Argentine: “My grandfather would have liked Messi as an example of ‘fair play’, because he valued ‘fair play’ very highly. He would have definitely loved to have met Messi and the whole team.”

In 1903 Arthur Witty, who was labelled ‘Don Arturo', took over the presidency of the organization which he held for 746 days until 6 October 1905.

The Barça team of the 1900/01 season. Standing, from right to left: WITTY, REIG, MEYER, CABOT. Kneeling: LLOBET, WHIRDEKHER, VALDÉS. Sitting: PARSONS, STEINBERG, GAMPER, GREEN and CENARRO.

For him it was important to learn to lose and accept that, if you lost, it was because the opponent was better.

Board of Directors analyses the Club's strategic plan

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Members of the Board of Directors and of the Executive Committee on Sunday. / GERMÁN PARGA-FCB
Sunday's meeting at the La Masia–Ciutat Esportiva complex served to take a close look at the master plan for managing the Club over the next five years

The FC Barcelona Board of Directors held a meeting on Sunday at the La Masia-Oriol Tort Training Centre to discuss the Club's Strategic Plan, which had been prepared by members of the Club's Executive Committee in recent months.

The Strategic Plan is a roadmap for managing the Club over the next six years and is based around five strategic areas: sporting excellence, maximum social involvement, sports infrastructure development, the Barça brand and its global position, and management and economic sustainability.

Attending the meeting were the members of the Board of Directors, led by President Josep Maria Bartomeu, along with members of the Club's Executive Committee: CEO Nacho Mestre; the director of professional sports Albert Soler; Pancho Schröder, Corporate Area Director; Francesco Calvo, Commercial Area Director; Pere Jansà, Social Area Director; William T. Mannarelli, Director of the Espai Barça project; Albert Roura, Communications Director; and Josep Cortada, Director of the FCB Foundation.

FC Barcelona's 116-year history in images

Petition to the anti-violence commission regarding the justifications by ex-players Sanchís and Rincón of the aggress

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Neymar during the game at Bernabéu / Tom Griffith - FCB
The tackle on Barça's Brazilian player resulted in the dismissal of the Real Madrid player Isco

The Legal Services of FC Barcelona have filed a request this morning with the Anti-violence Commission, an organization affiliated with the Sports Council, the Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD), to open proceedings against former football players and current football commentators, ‘Manolo’ Sanchís and ‘Poli’ Rincón, for having publicly and repeatedly justified the act of aggression that the Real Madrid player Isco committed against the FC Barcelona player Neymar in the last match played between the two teams, on Saturday, 21 November at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, an aggression which resulted in a straight red card for the Real Madrid player.

On the day of the game, speaking into the microphones of the Spanish radio network, La Cadena COPE, both Sanchís and Rincón justified Isco’s aggression on Neymar and, this past Sunday, they repeated said justifications, although Paco González, the host of the COPE program, called Tiempo de Juego, gave them several opportunities to rectify their statements. But rather than make a retraction or apologise, Sanchís doubled down on his words from the day of the match, when he said that "Neymar is going over the line, he isn’t getting [hit] enough." Rincón did the same, assuring that "If I am there, I hit him, there should be no doubt that I hit him; me and anyone else.”

FC Barcelona considers these statements to be an invitation to violence and therefore asks the Anti-violence Commission to act.

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