The departure of Eduard Romeu marks the second significant exit of a key executive during Joan Laporta's current tenure. Previously, Jordi Llauradó, the director responsible for Espai Barça, resigned from his role.
Llauradó stepped down from the project in January of last year and ultimately resigning in June 2023. In February 2022, CEO Ferran Reverter also departed, and Ramón Ramírez, the director of Heritage and Espai Barça, likewise left the club in August of the same year.
There were two main narratives surrounding Ferran Reverter's resignation as FC Barcelona CEO in February 2022:
Official Reason: Barcelona officially stated Reverter's departure was due to "personal and family reasons".
Official Reason: Barcelona officially stated Reverter's departure was due to "personal and family reasons".
Reverter's statement echoed this, mentioning returning to Spain for family reasons and then accepting the CEO role.
However, media outlets reported there might have been more to the story.
However, media outlets reported there might have been more to the story.
Some reports suggested disagreements with President Joan Laporta, particularly regarding the upcoming sponsorship deal with Spotify according to Eurosport and Daily Mail. There were also mentions of Reverter feeling the club could have secured better financial deals as per SPORT
Media reports cast doubt and suggested potential conflicts with club leadership regarding turning Barca into an SAD and some even speculated about him being against the return of Lionel Messi.
As for Ramón Ramírez, he was the the director of Heritage and Espai Barça and had a background in large-scale construction. His departure stemmed from both personal and professional reasons as is always the case when official announcements are made.
On a personal level, family considerations led him to leave Barça to support his wife's new and exciting professional endeavor in the food industry. On the other hand, the restructuring of the organization chart implemented by Laporta caused some discomfort within Espai Barça.
Despite being instrumental, alongside Maribel Meléndez (Directora Corporativa en FC Barcelona, Harvard Business School), in the successful referendum for financing Espai Barça...
Ramírez witnessed the appointment of Joan Sentelles, a former Reus advisor, as responsible for "the technical and contracting field,"...
and Àlex Barbany as the project's commercial manager, announced by TV3 on March 19, 2022. Although his resignation was not immediate, discontent had already begun to surface.
It is worth noting that Eduard Romeu was not initially part of Joan Laporta's candidacy in the 2021 elections. The individual chosen for the role of economic vice president was Jaume Giró, who resigned five days after the elections amidst the search for endorsements.
Some of these guarantees were secured through the contribution of Audax, led by José Elías, of which Eduard Romeu served as the executive vice president until last summer.
Jaume Giró is a prominent figure in Catalonia, combining experience in journalism, business, and politics. Giró presently serves as the Minister of Economy and Finance for Catalonia, a position he's held since May 2021.
Jaume Giró was initially expected to become FC Barcelona's financial vice president, but ultimately declined the role. Officially, reports at the time stated that Giró's existing professional commitments in London conflicted with the demands of the VP position at Barca.
However, media sources suggested deeper tensions. There were disagreements between Giró and president Joan Laporta regarding how to address the club's significant financial issues as per SPORT.
Reports indicated that Giró wasn't on board with delegating the financial burden to CEO Ferran Reverter, and preferred a more hands-on approach from the board members as per SPORT.
Given these disagreements, it seemed both parties decided it would be best to part ways before officially starting the working relationship according to SPORT.
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