Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Barcelona president Joan Laporta has put forward the name of Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez (47) as the one who should become the next Barcelona manager if the results force current manager Frank Rijkaard (45) to leave at the end of the season.
Is it said it was a go-between and personal friend of Laporta who informed the Barcelona president about the fact that the Liverpool manager is, contrary to what is generally believed, not untouchable. Laporta would have given the go-between the permission to contact Benítez discretely through the manager's former agent Manuel García Quilón.
With Benítez, who was not on the initial list of the technical staff, Barcelona president Laporta wants to have a valid successor for Rijkaard that is not former Chelsea manager José Mourinho (45), who Laporta thinks could give problems cause of his character and the negative view of Barcelona legend Johan Cruijff and some media. Mourinho is nevertheless strongly supported by some members of the Barcelona board, including economic vice president Ferran Soriano and sports vice president Marc Ingla, and by an important part of the Barcelona fans.
Meanwhile British tabloid The Daily Mirror claims that Benítez, who has also attracted the interest of Spanish clubs Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid and Valencia, is supported by Barcelona legend Johan Cruijff, who would have made a report to Barcelona president Laporta about the manager issue.
(read more on the manager debate here)
Wednesday 26 March 2008
Barcelona president pushes Benitez option
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2 comments:
Benitez? What a joke, he's Madridista and he stands for anti-football. Will never happen.
Laporta, stop beeing so damn stubborn and stop listening to Cruijjf for every single decision about the club.
Ferran Soriano will be one of the candidates in the next president elecctions. Let him be the one who decides.
You just can't see this happen. Benitez' style is just so far away from the Barcelona style.
Both the president and the 2010 presidency candidates that are member of the current board (Ingla could also be up there) have in the end the same goal: a trophy at the end of the 2009-2010 season. That way Laporta can leave on a high and can the others take advantage of that in the elections.
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