January 14 – Despite winning the Supercopa in Saudi Arabia beating their El Classico rivals, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona still have more than their fair share of backroom drama. A key Barca management figure, vice president Juli Guiu has resigned, effective immediately.
The club stated personal reasons for Guiu leaving the club, however, looking behind the PR statement, Guiu’s decision to leave came on the back of discrepancies over the Nike shirt deal the club announced at the end of last year, penning a contract worth more than €100 million a year.
Guiu, who has a reputation as a skilful operator, disagreed with some of the terms outlined in the contract and found himself put on the bench as the negotiations progressed.
One of his biggest gripes surrounded commissions. Darren Dein, who acted as the go-between as Nike and Barcelona crunched the numbers walked away with a big payday, much to the annoyance of Guiu.
Guiu, is one of four vice-presidents, and was playing a highly influential role in the day-to-day running of the cash-strapped club that recently had a significant legal win in the Dani Olmo and Pau Victor registration case.
One of his biggest successes was playing a critical role in bringing in various sponsors on board, including Spotify, who then took over the naming rights at the Camp Nou for a reported $310 million for just four years.
Now with Guiu’s exit, the club must find a replacement with the same drive, ambition, and connections to keep the revenue machine generating the vast sums needed to keep the Blaugrana competitive on and off the pitch.
Contact the writer of this story, Nick Webster, at moc.l1736840042labto1736840042ofdlr1736840042owedi1736840042sni@o1736840042fni1736840042
