Cardoner praises supporters' clubs

25.08.2010 13:43

Cardoner praises supporters' clubs

Jordi Clos / Roger Bogunyà

FC Barcelona' s Vice-President of the Social Area, Jordi Cardoner, has called upon all Barça fans to raise the level of supporters' clubs and promised that the club will improve its cooperation.

Speaking to over 1,500 members at the 31st Congreso Mundial de Peñas (Suporters' Clubs World Congress) the Blaugrana director said. "I want to honour the 250,000 people that represent the supporters' club movement. I am pleased that the congress is back at the same time as the Trofeo Joan Gamper game. Supporters' clubs are the nucleus of the club, our frontline and we all want to do all we can for them."

Indispensable fans

"You are indispensable," Cardoner, who is Nicolau Casaus' grandson, continued. "We want to make changes and we want to do them with you." The club will increase the amount of economic and human resources that will be available to supporters' club. The budget for the area will increase from €845,000 to €1.4 million. "The number of people working with you will also increase from five or six to 12," he promised. The Oficina de Atención al Peñista (Supporters' Club Office) will open next year.

Cardoner then declared that the Barça board intend to ask the Members' Representatives Assembly "to include the Consultative Committee in the statutes and give them a voice and a vote." A Defensor del Peñista post will also be created.

Special consideraton

Finally, Cardoner stated: "There should be special consideration for people that have come from outside of Catalunya as well as to those who remain unrecognised but have made such a large contribution to Barça;" he added.