Bartomeu: There aren't reasons for a vote of no confidence

What are your feelings on the vote of no confidence?

He's [Agusti Benedito] within his rights, but I'm of the opinion that there aren't extraordinary conditions for it. The club has three basic pillars: sporting, economic and social. Sportingly, we've just finished a very successful project with Luis Enrique and are starting with Ernesto Valverde with big expectations. 

And the economics?

We're a board who have dedicated ourselves to management, with a club that leads the way in income and revenue. We are investing in football but also in the club's heritage with the Espai Barça project. In this sense, we will soon lay the fist stone of the Johan Cruyff stadium, we hope for government approval soon. We're negotiating the naming rights for the stadium and we will have more revenue than planned. 

On the social side there's criticism?

There's a certain amount of criticism and discontent provoked by the environment the club lives in. We have to give them confidence and they have to believe in Ernesto's project, with the new players. 

You recognise some people are unhappy?

Some, yes. There's some pessimism, which we have to stop. The team is like last season, without Neymar but with Semedo, Paulinho, Deulofeu and Dembele. The team is more competitive. 

Did the no-confidence vote against Laporta in 2008 carry more weight?

That was for sporting reasons, after two years without titles, the last two with Rijkaard. This year we won the Super Cup and the Copa del Rey. 

It's the right of the socio to carry this motion out...

They can do whatever motion they want, that's well explained in the statutes. I repeat: the sporting reasos, I don't see them. Nor the economic reasons. Socially, there's a pessimism which we have to get out of. As well as playing and winning, we have to send the message that this team has strengthened. That there's a new coach. This year we weill present an approved budget of more than 800 million euros with some really important investments. 

Do you see Benedito getting the necessary signatures?

I don't know what the socios will do. 

What does your intuition say?

I would say that the pessimism is not completely real. The socios know certain things need to be improved, but the club is OK, the work this board has done in seven years has placed the club in a good situation. 

There were chants for you to resign at Dembele's presentation...

The socios are free to express themselves and say what they feel is convenient. That's freedom of expression. 

If one day, those chants took over Camp Nou, would you plan to go?

That's just a supposition because it's not happened.

But there has been an outbreak in recent days...

Yes, but we know not everything is perfect as you would like, we know there are difficulties in managing any organisation. There are good moments and bad moments. It's about having clear ideas and sticking to them. And our project is very clear. We want Barça to grow. 

I see you keen to persist with your mandate...

I was voted in to make my electoral program a reality and I want to do it because it's the best for Barça. 

Whatever happens, you will resist?

If one day I feel what I am doing is not good for Barcelona, then look... but for the moment everything we're doing is improving Barça. 

You would only go if you felt you were a problem for Barça?

I would go if our management made Barça worse. I've explained before that the basic objective of he board, of Barcelona presidents is that when you leave, the club's in a better state. I arrived in 2003 with Laporta and when Laporta left the club had improved. I came in as president and the club continued to improve. If it's improving, it's OK. And that's not me saying that, it's the media, the sports press, the economic press, the worldwide press. There are moments when there are problems, but the most important thing is we want to resolve them and we know how to resolve them.