1) THANKS, JOHAN

2) CAMP NOU MOSAIC AND TRIBUTE TO JOHAN CRUYFF

3) SEE THE NEW CAMP NOU - EVERY BARÇA FAN'S DREAM

4) THE NEW CAMP NOU - PHASED CONSTRUCTION WHILE PLAY GOES ON

5) FC BARCELONA KEEP AWAY GAME WITH SURPRISE ENDING

6) PIQUÉ v SUÁREZ II: THE REVENGE

7) BUSTLING PRE-BETIS TRAINING SESSION

8) PRE-EL CLÁSICO WORKOUT

9) HIGHLIGHTS: UNDER-19 v SANT ANDREU (3-0)

10) CLAUDIO BRAVO TRAINS LIKE A CHAMPION

Members of the Spanish Liga de Futbol Profesional (LFP) were at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper on Tuesday to lead a round of courses focused on integrity of the sport of football. Taking part were the FC Barcelona Women's Team, as well as several other Youth Teams, including the Under-19s, Under-16s and Under-14s. The First Team has already completed these courses.

Various issues were discussed at these talks, which were held throughout the day in the Auditorium at La Masia. Among those addressed were the manipulation of results, betting, respect for diversity, and fair play.

The day was led by Rodrigo Arias, the head of the LFP Integrity Department. All players on the aforementioned teams took part, as well as all their coaches. The sessions were custom tailored to the age of each group of participants.

When speaking to the younger teams, Arias put extra emphasis on the proper use of social media. The LFP rejects all forms of discrimination, including those stemming from hate, harassment, insults, threats, and taunts based on race, gender, religion, national origin, social class, and physical appearance.

The LFP has been giving these courses to both men's and women's teams in the top flight throughout the season.

The Espai Barça project exhibition has welcomed over 70,000 visitors since it opened its doors on 2 March.

Located in the Paris Lounge, fans are welcome to take a peek at the project for the New Camp Nou, New Palau Blaugrana and New Miniestadi will look like upon completion.

The models and videos of these new facilities that can be seen in different parts of the exhibition are the major attractions for those who have visited so far.

The visual content allows one to discover the characteristics and evolution of the project which is set to transform the facilities of the club.

The exhibition is open to the general public from Monday to Saturday from 10.00am to 8.00pm, and on Sunday from 10.00am to 3.00pm. On matchdays, it is open until the start of the second half.

Guided tours

Members can enjoy guided tours of the new project every Thursday from 12.00pm to 1.00pm and from 6.00pm to 7.00pm.

The tours tend to go on for about 50 minutes where the full details about the project are explained.

Visitors so far have been very impressed with what they have seen, and the members have shown a special interest in learning how each phase of the project will transpire.

FC Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu praised former manager Pep Guardiola during an interview published in German newspaper Hamburger Abendblatt on Saturday.

Despite his Bayern Munich side being knocked out of the Champions League semi-finals earlier this week, for the third season running, Bartomeu believes Guardiola should be regarded as a “genius”.

“I admire him as a manager and he has done a great job at Bayern Munich. To reach the semifinals of the Champions League three times is very difficult. With Barca he also always reached the semis, and twice we won it. This says a lot about his work. I am sure he will change a lot of things in Manchester (City) too.”

Asked if he believes that Guardiola will target some of Barca’s players when he takes up the reigns at Manchester City, Bartomeu responded:

“We don’t have any fear at all. Our players are very happy to be here. I am delighted for Txiki Begiristain who was with us for many years. He and Guardiola will form a strong duo.”

The Premier League, La Liga’s biggest rival

“La Liga is the strongest league in the world, with very valuable teams and players, even though the Premier League generates more revenue,” said Bartomeu.

Regarding the German Bundesliga, the president said “Bayern are one of the best teams in the world, and I think Borussia Dortmund are in the top 12 strongest in Europe. In terms of organization, management and economy, German teams are an example”.

Meeting with Hamburg president

During his visit, Bartomeu also met with Hamburg president Jens Meier and director general Dietmar Belersdorf.

Josep Maria Bartomeu, with Hamburg Director General, Dietmar Belersdorfer, and their president, Jens Meler / HAMBURGER ABENDBLATT

Camp Nou fondly remembered the figure of Manel Vich, the man who was the voice of the Camp Nou for almost 60 years, ahead of the derby against Espanyol. Before kick off his famous welcoming phrase Bona tarda a tothom i benvinguts a l’Estadi (Good afternoon and welcome to the stadium) sounded via the PA but the line up was announced in silence in his memory, the player appearing on the video scoreboard.

After the anthem was sung and the mosaic was produced, there was a minute’s silence that ended with an ovation from the Camp Nou crowd, an indication of the esteem in which Vich was held.

Furthermore, during the entire 90 minutes of Barça v Espanyol the seat from which he made the stadium announcements was left empty as a sign of respect.

El Camp Nou ret homenatge a Manel Vich por fcbarcelona

Four months after signing an initial co-branding partnership agreement, Bank Mega and FC Barcelona are set to officially launch Mega Barça co-branding products on 9 May 2016. The new products include a credit card, a prepaid card, and other financial products specially designed using official FC Barcelona images and the Club crest.

The official launch event will be broadcast live on television and will be accompanied by a musical performance from popular Indonesian musicians, including Slank, Kikan, and other artists that will be seen by millions of people.

With the official announcement, FC Barcelona fans can now apply for Bank Mega Barça cards.

The press conference was attended by representatives from both Bank Mega and FC Barcelona, including Bank Mega President, Kostaman Thayib; Bank Mega Funding & Network Director, Diza Larentie; Bank Mega Credit Card & Personal Loan Director, Dodit Wiweko Probojakti; and FC Barcelona Asia Pacific Managing Director, Xavier Asensi Brufau.

“It is such an honour for Bank Mega to be the first FC Barcelona Official Bank in Indonesia, as it is one of the best football teams in the world. With this partnership, Bank Mega will be able to give special benefits, offers and also strengthen the identity of FC Barcelona fans,” Mr. Thayib said.

Manel Arroyo, FC Barcelona’s Vice President of Marketing and Communications also weighed in: “This is the kind of commercial partnership that we try to achieve in the global market. FC Barcelona is looking to link with companies or organisations like Bank Mega, partners that can help us reinforce our brand and our presence in those territories in which we have millions of fans, such as in Indonesia. This partnership will give our huge Indonesia fan base the opportunity to be involved with our club and share the dreams, values and desires that our football brings them.”

Xavier Asensi said the co-branding products would give all FC Barcelona fans an opportunity to win an official jersey. In addition, all future customers will have a chance to win a trip to see FC Barcelona play live at Camp Nou and “meet and greet” the players.

“Bank Mega is the right choice to be FC Barcelona’s Official Bank,” Mr. Asensi said. “We are determined to reach our 26 million Indonesian fans through a variety of partnership programs we will be offering in the future. Bank Mega has advantages that cannot be compared to other banks.”

These co-branding products will be offered in various designs. The Credit Cards, Debit Cards and Prepaid Cards will provide a host of benefits including trips, rewards points, discounts on official merchandise, and exclusive gifts.

A special exhibition designed to give a closer look at the Espai Barça finalists opened this Tuesday at the Col·legi d’Arquitectes de Catalunya (COAC).

The exhibition delves into all the finalists' proposals for the New Camp Nou and the New Palau Blaugrana.

The opening ceremony was attended by FC Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu, as well as the dean of COAC, Lluís Comerón, and the architects who made the final round.

The models from the two winning teams — Nikken Sekkei + Pascual-Ausió Arquitectes and HOK + TAC Arquitectes — have their own space at the exhibition.

"What we see in this exhibition is a demonstration of FC Barcelona's enormous capacity to attract the talent, creativity and enthusiasm of some of the best architecture firms in the world," said Mr. Bartomeu

Two other spaces are dedicated to showcasing models for the other finalists and their plans, including images and documents.

The exhibition runs until 2 June.

Miguel Cabrera, a 20-year-old from Mexico, was chosen as the winner of FC Barcelona's VIP draw for an all-expenses paid trip for two to the 2016 Copa del Rey final in Madrid, where the Catalans will take on Sevilla at the Vicente Calderón Stadium.

Mr. Cabrera's name was chosen out of a field of more than 200,000 participants from around the world who took part in the two-week-long contest.

Mr. Cabrera's guest will be none other than his brother.

The prize includes two VIP tickets to the final, hotel stay in Madrid, two-way transfers between the airport, hotel, and the stadium, and, of course, a pair of round trip airline tickets from Mexico to Madrid.

Have fun, Miguel!

FC Barcelona director of football Raul Sanllehí took part in a discussion on “The Value of the Champions League Final: Bringing stakeholders to the ultimate stage” on Wednesday in Milan, in a day organized by professor Dino Ruta of Luigi Bocconi University and kindly empowered by UEFA, to talk about the impact and importance the competition has in football. Various representatives of the European game attended, including ex-players Mauro Tassotti and Javier Zanetti, coach Marcello Lippi and UEFA's chief refereeing officer Pierluigi Collina.

Sanllehí was on the panel discussing the Champions League from the clubs’ perspective, alongside FC Bayern director Andreas Jung and Juventus director Giuseppe Marotta. This group discussion was attended by a large number of students who were there to learn about the competition’s impact on the clubs’ management and how participating in it helps to globalize and expand their brand.

A series of events and activities are taking place in the Italian city, which hosts the final next May 28. The Champions League trophy has been on display at the university, as well as a series of other objects related to past finals, including the jerseys worn by Xavi Hernandez and Leo Messi in Rome and at Wembley respectively as well as Andres Iniesta’s boots from the final in Berlin.

The photography competition ‘Camp Nou Experience’ now has a winner for the month of April. The Instagram account that will take away the Barça shirt on offer is that of iamfrex. For the winner to receive the prize they have to send an e-mail to campnouexperiencefcb@gmail.com stating their address.

The competition has been running for several months now and it consists of taking a photograph of yourself during the ‘Camp Nou Experience’ tour, imitating one of the first team players and then post it on Instagram. The hashtag #CampNouExperience must be used for the Club to award a Barça shirt to the person whose photo receives most ‘likes’.

Buy tickets for the 'Camp Nou Experience'

Around 9.30pm CET, about a half hour after the scheduled start time, The Boss popped out onto the stage.

The crowd — which had been bubbling with anticipation while the final concertgoers made their way into the stadium and found their places — immediately erupted.

But Bruce Springsteen didn't give them much time to savor that opening moment.

He strutted to the front of the stage, slung his guitar over his shoulder and, just like that, the music was blaring.

That's how the global icon opened his first concert at Camp Nou since 2009. And he didn't stop for more than three hours.

On a cool, comfortable evening with a slight breeze and views of the half-moon high above the stadium, Mr. Springsteen gave everyone in attendance a show brimming with energy and paced to perfection.

There are few phenomena that attract such a diverse following. Camp Nou was packed with a heterogeneous mix of locals, people from the city of Barcelona and the rest of Catalonia, fans from far-flung provinces in the rest of Spain, and scores upon scores of die-hards who travelled from all across Europe to see and hear the man play and sing. Over 65,000 people in all came to witness the spectacle.

Simply put, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band held a one-night festival in Barcelona.

Flanked by giant high-definition screens on both sides of and behind the stage, the first concert of The River Tour in Europe rocked the house.

The night opened with Better Days and cruised along with The River, this tour's namesake and the title song from the album he launched 35 years ago.

An unexpected tribute to Prince, who recently passed away, materialized out of thin air. The crowd sang in unison as The Boss led the chorus line of Purple Rain, with just the right number of floodlights turning, of course, purple, while the general ambience stayed dark enough to convey a ubiquitous feeling of sadness and loss.

Romanticism made the rounds as well, with the rhythmic tempo of the unmistakable piano lead-in to Hungry Heart setting the mood for untold numbers of couples to embrace as they swayed to the steady drumbeat of love. It was the sing-along moment of the night and it had a powerful effect on The Boss, as the man of the hour descended the stairs, stage right, and waded into the crowd.

Mr. Springsteen ascended multiple islands as he made his way through the masses to the opposite side, even jogging the final stretch from stage left back to center stage.

Once there, he bent over as if to catch his breath and, in the process, poke some fun at his age. The crowd was in on the ruse and, in response, cheered for him as loudly as they did all night, a way of thanking him for putting forth an epic performance and exuding the charisma and energy typically reserved for superheroes. 

Soon, the stadium's full, white lighting brightened the enormous bowl to the point where it was as awakening as the midday sun.

The first notes of Born in the USA rang out and Camp Nou was instantly transported back to the summer of 1984. Fists pumped right on beat as Mr. Springsteen's guitar pick stroked the notes of, perhaps, his most famous song. A scattering of American flags dotted the stands.

A tireless rendition of Born to Run was astutely followed by Dancing in the Dark.

The climax was near.

And in a scene that brought back memories of Ferris Bueller, except not in Chicago but rather in Barcelona, Springsteen went with a cover of the Beatles' Twist and Shout. To say it was well-received would be the epitome of humility.

Tens of thousands twisted together. And shouted. And twisted some more. The Boss was a human dynamo. It wasn't a movie shoot but it sure felt like one.

Congrats to the Champions

This was Bruce Springsteen's fifth concert at Camp Nou. But it just happened to be the first time The Boss was playing his music on the same day the team that plays its games there were crowned with a title.

“Enhorabona, Barça!" he shouted out to the crowd to congratulate the team.

The seventh edition of the Warsaw Book Fair begins on Thursday at the National Stadium of the Polish capital and will have the city of Barcelona and Catalan literature as special guests. That is why FC Barcelona, as a reference of the region, will be present in Warsaw via the Ramon Llull Institute, with which the club has a close relationship. The vice-president of Institutional and International Relations, Carles Vilarrubí, will represent FC Barcelona in the activities organized in this important cultural event. Vilarrubí, this evening, is invited to the Barça TV programme Hora B.

Barcelona is the guest of honour at the Warsaw Book Fair, having been declared a city of literature by UNESCO. Therefore, the Ramon Llull Institute has organized a series of activities regarding the Catalan literature, which will also participate in the Government of Catalonia.

Through the collaboration agreement of the Sport meets culture programme, FC Barcelona and the Ramon Llull Institute offer themed activities that will be a meeting point between culture and sport.

Among other things, the documentary of Josep Suñol ‘Un crit valent’ will be projected: with Polish subtitles, and later a roundtable will be introduced by Manel Forcano, director of the Ramon Llull institute, in which the following will take part: Carles Vilarrubí, Tomasz Wisniowsky, Warsaw-based sports journalist, and Jordi Puntí, one of ten writers who make up the Catalan delegation council with Sebastià Alzamora, Blanca Busquets, Jaume Cabré, Jenn Diaz, Rafel Nadal, Marc Pastor, Care Santos, Màrius Serra and Jordi Sierra i Fabra. At the fair, the official books of Barça, edited in Polish, will also be displayed.

The relationship between FC Barcelona and the Ramon Llull Institute began in 2012 a first cooperation agreement to promote the Catalan language and culture to the world through the organization of joint activities, and guided the names of Barça and Catalonia to the universities of Glasgow, Amsterdam and Paris-New Sorbonne, among others. This new agreement to participate in the Warsaw Book Fair is one more step to promote Catalan literature abroad through sport.

Literary competition of FCBEscola Warsaw

Poland is a country where FC Barcelona has one of its biggest followings, and its capital saw the inauguration of FCBEscola Warsaw in 2011, Barça’s first football school opened in Europe, which currently has over 650 youngsters. These circumstances make the Warsaw Book Fair a great opportunity to promote the Catalan culture through football, reaffirming ties between the values of sport and culture.

To mark this event, FC Barcelona has organized a literary contest involving children of the FCBEscola Warsaw junior category, with 12 teams and 150 players. There will be a jury which will select the best three works presented. The first prize will be a trip to Barcelona with an accompanying adult, a jersey and a book; the second will win a jersey, some boots and a book, and third place will gain a jersey and a book. On the evening of the 19th will see the award ceremony at the National Stadium in Warsaw, where the fair is held.

Comments from Carles Vilarrubí, vice-president of Institutional and International Relations:

“The documentary Josep Suñol: Un crit valent will be shown as part of this important international literary fair as we are fulfilling our desire to make the image of president Josep Suñol global and to be able to explain to the world the injustice which ended with his life, as well as the strong social and cultural foundations that the club had in those difficult years and the solidity of its current global presence.”

The work to replace the pitch at Camp Nou has begun this Wednesday following the concert by Bruce Springsteen which took place at the stadium last Saturday. The change of surface will be ready for the French League rugby final which is set to take place at Barça’s ground on 24 June. Once the rugby teams have left their mark on the pitch, another change of turf is scheduled before the start of the league season 2016/17.

The Club has decided to introduce a new system of hybrid grass both at Camp Nou and at the Ciutat Esportiva’s Tito Vilanova pitch. The installation is a two part process which is dependent on the weather. First of all the natural grass will be replaced so that the playing surface is ready for the opening games of the coming campaign. Then, during the international break in September, the hybrid system will be added. The last time the pitch at Camp Nou was replaced was in August 2015.

FC Barcelona expresses, in the most absolute terms, its total and complete disagreement with the announcement prohibiting the display of Estelada flags at the final of the Copa del Rey, to be played this Sunday night. The ban was announced on Wednesday by the Spanish government’s representative in the Community of Madrid.

FC Barcelona considers the decision to be an attack on the freedom of expression, the fundamental right of each and every individual to express their ideas and opinions freely and without censorship, a right which is recognised in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

FC Barcelona has always defended, and will continue to defend, the freedom of expression of all its members and fans, who have always displayed a high level of civility and respect.

FC Barcelona calls for the use of common sense and responsibility and demands the government representative’s cooperation in creating the good atmosphere a match such as the Copa del Rey final deserves. FC Barcelona also implores the representative to respect the honour of the institutions involved in this final and to avoid causing any uncomfortable situations.

FC Barcelona members travelling to Madrid to attend this Sunday’s 9.30pm Copa del Rey final between FC Barcelona and Sevilla at the Vicente Calderón should take into account the following information and safety measures:

Information from the Vicente Calderón stadium

• Doors open: At 6.00pm. We recommend arriving at the stadium early.
• Getting to the Vicente Calderón: The address is Paseo Virgen del Puerto, 67, Madrid. The nearest metro stop is Pirámides.

Things to keep in mind for accessing the Vicente Calderón:

• Bring your DNI or passport.
• Bring your personal ticket (in your name)
• People holding children in their arms will not be allowed in.
• Backpacks bigger than 25x25x25cm are prohibited

Punishable acts:

• The display of banners, symbols, emblems and propaganda encouraging inappropriate behavior.
• Possession, activation and throwing of all types of weapons or objects.
• Sale, possession or consumption of alcohol and drugs.
• Unauthorized access of the pitch.
• Participation in violent altercations in the vicinity of the stadium.

Security measures for the Barça Fan Zone

• Weapons, flares, pyrotechnic devices and glass containers are prohibited
• It is not permitted to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs nor to take drinks out of their specified areas.
• Those entering may be searched
• Capacity is limited
• The Fan Zone reserves the right to refuse admission

FC Barcelona has today filed an administrative appeal to the Madrid Courts for the protection of fundamental rights and a request for a preliminary injunction to suspend the decision that was announced by the delegate of the Community of Madrid. This resolution prohibits the display of Estelada flags at the Copa del Rey final which will take place on Sunday 22 May at the Vicente Calderon stadium, between FC Barcelona and Sevilla.  

The legal basis of the appeal presented today by the Club is the violation of the fundamental right to freedom of expression and the lack of grounds for the measure because it presupposes a desire to be offensive with the use of the Estelada flags.

With actions such as these, FC Barcelona defends, and will continue to defend, freedom of expression of its members and supporters.

The Barça fans will have their own special area in Madrid on Sunday 22 May. The supporters who make their way to the capital for the Copa del Rey final will be able to enjoy a series of activities before heading to the Vicente Calderón for the game. The meeting point will be within the Parque del Antiguo Matadero on Paseo de la Chopera in Madrid. There, fans will have an information point in case of any questions.

This Barça Fan Zone will be open from 10.00am to 7.00pm CET and the closest metro stop is Legazpi. Parking for coaches can be found on Paseo de la Chopera. Below, we take a look at some of the activities that will take place:

Live: Between 11.00am and 5.00pm there will be live performances from Robert Gobert and Pep Callau as well supporters’ groups Funki Road, Batinkat and Protons.

Workshops and activities: To get fans into the spirit of things, there will be all kind of activities. Trampolines, football shooting competitions, obstacles courses, video games, match predictions, the opportunity for commemorative photos and face painting.

Food area: There will be two food points with a bar area and a rest area.

Interactive area: Fans can take photographs of themselves and show their love for Barça by sharing them on social networks with the hashtag #FanZoneFCB

Win prizes with a wristband

As well as the assorted activities, fans can also win prizes with the wristband that they can pick up from the Fan Zone. The wristband can be activated at polsera.fcbarcelona.cat or with a QR code. More info here.

FC Barcelona’s vice-president for International and Institutional Relations, Carles Vilarrubí, has presented the prizes for the first FCBEscola Writing Competition that was held at the Warsaw Book Fair that is currently taking place in the Polish capital. Barça, which took part in the literature display in conjunction with the Ramon Llull Institute, has a very important FCBEscola soccer school in Warsaw, with more than 650 players and twelve U12 teams, and the competition was aimed at them.

Sixty children aged between 10 and 11 years took part in the contest, where they had to write stories about a player from the club’s history.

First prize went to Szymon Mlynarcyk, for a story about Xavi Hernández called Marzenie (Dream), who wins a trip to Barcelona along with an adult companion, plus the chance to go to a game and get a shirt signed by Messi, Neymar and Suárez.

Second prize went to young Belgian Ward Lambrecht for The Net Breaker, which was about Paulino Alcántara, and who wins a shirt signed by the trident and new boots.

Third prize was for a story about Johan Cruyff by Stanislaw Bienkowski, who also gets a signed shirt. All of the entrants also receive a book about Messi in return for their efforts.

The prize ceremony took place at the Literary Sofa Space at the National Stadium, Warsaw, where the fair is being held, and was attended by Carles Vilarrubí, in representation of the Club; Jordi Sierra i Fabra, a Catalan writer who specializes in children’s books; Enric Daví, director of the FCBEscola project in Warsaw; and Tomasz Wisniowski, reporter and host of the event.

On Thursday, FC Barcelona played a starring role at the fair. The vice-president for International and Institutional Relations, Carles Vilarrubí, attended the inauguration of the Warsaw Book Fair and visited the city of Barcelona’s stand, where he met the Polish Minister for Culture, Piotr Glinski, with whom he attended a screening of the documentary film Josep Suñol: un crit valent. Vilarrubí ended his day by taking part in a debate about football and literature.

Carles Vilarrubí, vice-president of International and Institutional Relations:

“It was an amazing response. We surpassed expectations with 60 entrants, and also by the quality of the entries. The maxim is for our schools to not only generate the best athletes, but also to be a source of culture, and we have seen that here, where there is an important relationship between books and sport”

Enric Daví, director of FCBEscola project in Warsaw:

“We designed the competition for the children born between 2004 and 2005, and asked them to write about an important figure in our club’s history, which meant they had to do some research into the club that they play for. There was a wide range of stories, with some surprises because they wrote about such players as Paulino Alcántara, Kubala and Maradona, who these children have not been able to see even on YouTube, and there was even one about Oriol Tort. It was a pleasure to read these stories and very difficult to choose the winners.

FC Barcelona has expressed its satisfaction with the judicial decision to allow the display of ‘estelada’ flags at the Copa del Rey Final against Sevilla FC this coming Sunday at the Vicente Calderón in Madrid.

The Club thus celebrates that the judge’s decision will allow the free expression of legal symbols and banners by its members and supporters.

At the same time, FC Barcelona expresses its concern about the reoccurrence of situations like the one on Wednesday, and which are an affront to the freedom of expression, and do nothing to benefit what has always been a celebration of football and sport.

The Club reiterates its commitment to the defence of the freedom of expression among its members and supporters.

Not long to go for the Copa del Rey final and the Club has a clear objective: #Wewanttehdouble. With this hashtag Barça fans can post photos of themselves performing a victory salute or record themselves saying "We want the double".

A win against Sevilla in the Vicente Caderón on Sunday would assure FC Barcelona of an historic double after claiming the league title last weekend.