Barcelona presidential candidate Toni Freixa has noted how the club have failed to win a Champions League title since he left the club.
Freixa served on the board under former incumbents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, but left a number of years ago while the Blaugrana have not won the European competition since 2015.
Freixa told Onda Cero, as per Diario Sport: “I don’t get any medals of course, but since I left, Barcelona have not won another Champions League.
“Although it was not won because I was there, obviously, I think some of Bartomeu’s mistakes was the to act in a presidential manner, without counting on his board of directors.”
There are six confirmed candidates for the election, of which Victor Font is said to be the early favourite for the position
52-year-old Freixa, who is a lawyer by trade, finished bottom of the pile in the 2015 presidential elections at the club with just 3.7 percent of the vote – 1,750 votes – but is hopeful of building on that this time round.
Bartomeu was elected that year with a convincing 54.6 percent of the vote, comfortably ahead of former Barcelona president Joan Laporta on 33.0 percent and Agusti Benedito – who is also set to run again in January – on 7.1 percent.
Freixa has been criticised as a so-called continuity candidate of the previous boards whom he worked under, but he insisted he would be a break from those former presidents.
His interview added: “If they call me a continuist, it is because I have respected the Board of Directors chosen by the members in 2015; I was not in favour of the vote of no confidence (against Bartomeu.
“Barça needs greater stability than it has had in recent times.”
Image via Marca
