The former institutional vice president of FC Barcelona, Carles Vilarrubí, spoke yesterday on Rac1 about his resignation on October 1, 2017 due to his disagreement with the position adopted by the club of playing against Las Palmas on the day that Catalonia held the independence referendum and They were carrying out police charges at several polling stations. “On a day when they are beating people, you can't play ball. If something had happened to a member that day, the entire Board would not have been able to set foot in the country,” he said.
Vilarrubí was very critical of the power that the players had to get the game played: “My message to the president was this: What is decided in the box cannot be changed in the locker room. It's hard for me to imagine other clubs or presidents that this could happen to them. In the real world there is a logical hierarchy: The board makes a decision and everyone must accept it.”
He assured that the board had already decided “unanimously” that it would not be played: “We were clear, it was not a day to do it,” and recalled that FC Barcelona had positioned itself politically and that the coherent thing was not to play: “We have to to think that we came from a cycle where Barça had positioned itself politically. The Chain for Freedom had passed through the Camp Nou, the club wore a t-shirt with the sign, issued statements in favor of the right to decide or in defense of the Catalan language. Barça played the same game as the country. It was a reflection of what was happening in Catalonia. “You couldn’t stay out of it.”
The former FC Barcelona manager also spoke about the pressure that everyone received during those hours: “You have to imagine the pressure that Bartomeu was under. If we all were, he was even stronger and stronger. All types. That afternoon the president receives hundreds of calls, each one more important. You have to understand him.” Bartomeu told them that if they did not play “the suit and the sanction would be important.” “There was an attempt to convey a sense of absolute normality to the world. Cover one image with another. Messi playing was very powerful,” he added.
According to Vilarrubí, “there was no unanimity in the locker room”: “That is evident. I only saw one player. I didn't talk to him but it wasn't necessary. Gerard Piqué. And I'm sure he wasn't about to play. An example is that he was dressed in street clothes when he went up to the box shortly before the game.
After FC Barcelona finished playing that match against Las Palmas, Carles Vilarrubí presented his resignation: “After Bartomeu's decision, I am going to the car and sending my resignation message to the rest of the Board. The message was the following: Dear colleagues, much to my regret I have presented my resignation to the president as a member of the Board of Directors. It has been a pleasure and an honor to share these years with you. Do not doubt that from the outside I will continue to help in everything I can. I hope to say goodbye to all of you very soon. A hug".
Throughout the interview on Rac1's 'Tu diràs' program, Vilarrubí also spoke about current Blaugrana news and the businessman was “concerned” about the club's situation: “From an institutional point of view I am worried. In the economic world, levers do not exist. There is the sale of equity and present and future assets. Without going into the reasons, the situation is worrying. And the president and the directors must be because the situation is not easy.”
