Elections at Barça

Posted on January 27th, 2010 by admin

Later this year will see elections for the next club president, bringing an end to Joan Laporta’s reign. Jaume Ferrer announced his for the spring elections back in December but this week Laporta’s preferred choice, Alfons Godall, has officially stepped into the ring.

The date of the election is currently unknown, but expected to be decided at a board meeting to be held on Friday. According to club statutes Laporta’s presidency must come to an end on June 30th.

Tags: Alfons Godall, Jaume Ferrer, Joan Laporta, President

Busquets and Milito back from injury

Posted on January 26th, 2010 by admin

Sergei Busquets is back training with the rest of the squad after an improvement in his kidney injury sustained against Sevilla recently. Until now he has been on a personalised training program and trained separately to avoid further accidental damage through contact with the other players.

Meanwhile, at a press conference on Monday,  Gaby Milito told reporters that he was enjoying his return to football after an 18 month lay-off due to a knee injury. However, he still has some way to go before he is fully fit but should improve during the remainder of the season.

Tags: Busquets, injury, Milito

FC Barcelona undefeated at half way stage

Posted on January 25th, 2010 by admin

Barcelona remains 5 points clear of Real Madrid in the Spanish League after soundly beating Valladolid on Saturday night. Barcelona is on 49 points, Real Madrid 44 and Valencia on 39 at the half way stage of the season, which for the first time in its history Barcelona has gone undefeated.

Saturday night’s match saw the home team put up a strong start, but after Xavi scored in the 20th minute their resolve crumbled. Alves scored a minute later after which Barcelona really dominated, although Victor Valdes had to show what he could do to save a free kick shortly before the end of the first half.

With Barça keeping up the pressure in the second half it was only a matter of time before something got through. Henry came close to scoring, although it was well saved; and a minute later Messi put the goal into the back of the net to make it 3-0.

Tags: Valladolid

Sponsorship deal with Turkish Airlines

Posted on January 22nd, 2010 by admin

If you watched carefully last Saturday you might have noticed the logo of Turkish Airlines appearing at the Nou Camp when playing against Sevilla in La Liga.

Barça and Turkish Airlines have agreed a three year deal, whereby the airline provides transport for the team and in return their branding appears in the Nou Camp and players will appear in their promotional materials.

However, the Turkish Airlines brand will not appear on the Barça shirt. Currently the only sponsorship to appear is that of Unicef in a reverse sponsorship deal, whereby Barça pays Unicef for the priviledge of displaying the Unicef logo on their shirt, although Catalan TV station has often appeared on the sleeve of the shirt.

Tags: Sponsorship, Turkish Airlines

Keita returns from Africa

Posted on January 21st, 2010 by admin

With Mali eliminated from the African Cup, Keita is due to return to training on Thursday, although Touré Yaya remains in Africa with the Ivory Coast. Also absent is Busquets, who is recovering from an injury sustained to his kidney.

The squad is heading to Valladolid for a match on Saturday night. Kickoff is at 20:00.

Tags: Busquets, Keita, Touré Yaya

Guardiola to stay on for at least another year

Posted on January 20th, 2010 by admin

Barça’s superstar manager, Pep Guardiola, has been signed for an additional year after his contract expires in June. At a press conference this afternoon it was announced that he chose a short contract extension rather than then longer term contract preferred by FC Barcelona’s president, Joan Laporta.

Tags: Guardiola, Laporta

Barcelona soundly defeats Sevilla

Posted on January 18th, 2010 by admin

Barcelona must have wished they could have turned back the clock a few days, when they soundly beat Sevilla 4-0 in the rain on Saturday night. It was the third time they had faced Sevilla this year after two King’s Cup ties that saw Barcelona eliminated on the away goals.

Barcelona remains at the head of the table on 46 points, 4 points ahead of Real Madrid thanks to their defeat by Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.

1-0 Escudé, own goal (min 49)
2-0 Pedro (min 70)
3-0 Messi (min 84)
4-0 Messi (min 90)

Tags: La Liga, Sevilla

Barcelona Football Tickets for the top tier can be great

Posted on January 15th, 2010 by admin

While the seats up on the top tier of the Nou Camp are a long way up, if you’re located in the lateral stands of the stadium you do at least get a good overview of the match.

There are some other really good reasons to consider this part of the stadium too; the people up here consist of a mix of die hard fans and family groups and the result is a lot of noise and enthusiasm that is absent from the more exclusive areas.

Access is by the stairs, but there are elevators for anyone who has trouble climbing so many steps. And like other parts opf the stadium there are people selling drinks, although no alcohol is served. And at half time you can grab a hot dog or sandwich in the numerous stalls inside the stadium.

VIP Lounges at the Nou Camp

Posted on January 12th, 2010 by admin

One of the advantages of the VIP packages available for matches at the Nou Camp – apart from superior seating – is the access to the VIP lounges prior to the match and at half time.

Inside you are able to enjoy free drinks – including beer and wine, which isn’t available elsewhere in the stadium – and various snacks. The VIP lounges do have a dress code that you should be aware of, although it isn’t strictly enforced. Basically you not supposed to go in with sportswear, denim or team colours, but I have seen all of these being worn.

The snacks aren’t all that exciting and although in poor weather you might think of staying in the lounge to watch the match, you can only do so on the TV screens as there is no view of the pitch.

However, if you fancy a bit of a treat and do want to make your trip to the stadium extra memorable you probably won’t be disappointed.

Tags: Barcelona football tickets, barcelona tickets, FC Barcelona, VIP Lounge, VIP Tickets

VIP Tickets at the Nou Camp

Posted on January 7th, 2010 by admin

While most people who go to see FC Barcelona play at the Nou Camp receive regular tickets, there are also VIP tickets with dedicated seating areas and access to the VIP lounges before the match and at half time.

VIP Silver give the ticket holder access to one of two lounges, depending on where the seating is located exactly. All seats are at the very front of the second tier behind the goal, with those located in the south stand having access to the lounge in the grandstand, while those in the north stand have access to a more convenience lounge located inside the stand.

Drinks and snacks are provided to VIP Lounge ticket holders, and alcohol is served, unlike in other areas of the stadium. The seating is also more luxurious, with wider seats and armrests; the location does provide a narrow perspective of the stadium though, and if all the action happens at the other end of the pitch then you do miss out slightly.

VIP Silver (top) and VIP Gold (bottom) seating in the Nou Camp

VIP Gold tickets on the other hand are close to the centreline in the main grandstand, providing an almost perfect view of the action. There is also a dedicated lounge for VIP Gold ticket holders; you should also check to see if parking is included.

Both VIP Silver and Gold lounges do have a dress code, although it tends not to be rigorously enforced. No denim, team colours or sportswear are allowed according to the rules, although you’ll see all of these in the lounge. They may clamp down on this though, so it isn’t really worth running the risk of being denied access.

Barcelona Football Tickets located in the VIP areas are a great way to experience the Nou Camp and can be used to entertain clients or business partners, or simply to treat yourself to a real day out.

Tags: Barcelona football tickets, FC Barcelona, Nou Camp, VIP Gold, VIP Lounge, VIP Silver, VIP Tickets