Joan Gaspart is an entrepreneur and a very devoted Barça fan. He was president of Grupo Husa, as well as vice-president and then president of Barça. He explains that he lost everything, but that at 81 years old he has also learned a lot and had a great time. In fact, he doesn't tell young people how to succeed, but rather everything he believes one shouldn't do. His rule is 80-20. That is, 80% of your life dedicated to earning money and the remaining 20% for complementary activities that excite you. He explains that Mother Teresa of Calcutta instilled in him the importance of helping others.
During his time at Can Barça, he was key in the signings of Maradona, Romario, Ronaldo, and Rivaldo. They say Platini slipped through his fingers and he suffered Figo's betrayal. Gaspart has an extensive career in civil society, closely linked to Turismo de Barcelona, the Gremio de Hoteles, the CEOE, and Foment del Treball, among others. He was also one of the founders of Diario Sport and is still consul of the Seychelles.
He explains that criticism no longer affects him, that football has taught him to forgive, and that one must go to sleep with a clear conscience. Let the game begin.
— He started working as a "bellboy" in the family business at 14 years old.
— I worked as a "bellboy" and an elevator operator. I didn't do it to earn a living, but to learn by following my father's training. Afterwards, I went to the hotel management school in France and also did my military service.
— At 25, he became director of the old Hotel Oriente.
— Hotel Oriente was managed by my father and he proposed that I be the director. I will always be grateful to him. My professional life became more independent when I got married.
"I worked as a "bellboy" and an elevator operator to learn by following my father's training"
— He was president of Grupo Husa before he was 40.
— My grandfather founded Grupo Husa and also Cadena Lisa. We had hotels in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. I trained as a hotel director and then I repurchased, personally, Husa, which was then in the hands of the Botín family.
— What did your father tell you?
— He didn't want to enter this second phase of Grupo Husa because he was already happy with the management of the Avenida Palace, Oriente, La Gavina, and Terramar hotels.
— A good moment?
— At the beginning, when we enthusiastically recovered the company my grandfather had founded. We grew a lot and did many rentals and hotel management throughout Spain. We also did some operations abroad. Until...
— A bad moment?
— Negative for me and positive for all who want to listen to me. I don't explain to young people how to succeed in life, but rather what not to do to end up as I did... I try to be honest and also positive.
— A learning?
— I have learned above all what not to do.
"I don't explain to young people how to succeed in life, but rather what not to do to end up as I did... I have learned above all what not to do"
— You tell me.
— The 80-20 rule. You have to dedicate 80% of your professional life to earning money honestly to grow, while you have 20% left for complementary, non-remunerated activities that excite you.
— For example?
— The CEOE, Foment del Treball, the Council of Guilds, the Hotel Guild, the European Hotel Association, etc. We are talking about volunteering, that is, things that fulfill you and where you help, but without getting paid anything. I have also tried to find different solutions for all the people who sleep on the street.
— Did you suffer the 20-80?
— Exactly, at one point I did just the opposite: 20-80. That is, I dedicated 80% to activities I enjoyed a lot but without earning a living and only worried 20% of the time about my company. A very serious mistake!
— And Barça?
— A large part of this 80% was for Barça. I was the club's vice-president and the main person responsible for sports issues and signings. Yes, I am a Barça fanatic, which is a hobby... Non-remunerated.
"You have to dedicate 80% of your professional life to earning money honestly to grow, while you have 20% left for complementary, non-remunerated activities that excite you"
— How did it affect you?
— Not following the 80-20 rule affected my family and my business. Luckily, my wife took care of the family, but I abandoned the businesses in the hands of other people who were not the owners and, over time, I lost everything.
— Did you lose everything?
— I also had a great time! I worked on the logistical organization of the hotels that served the Barcelona Olympic Games, I created Turismo de Barcelona with the City Council to promote the city until it reached twenty million tourists, and I also worried a lot about bringing the Mobile World Congress.
— This day 20 years ago.
— And it didn't come by the Holy Spirit, but thanks to many negotiations and a very personal position of Turismo de Barcelona. I even went to Cannes to convince them.
— Bon voyage!
— We had strong competitors like Paris, London, Rome, and Madrid. The Mobile has become a very good monster for Barcelona from an economic point of view and with a lot of global prestige.
"The Mobile came about due to a very personal position of Turismo de Barcelona. I even went to Cannes to convince them. The Mobile has become a very good monster for the city"
— You often say you are sick and in love...
— I am in love with my wife and my family and I am sick about Barça and the city of Barcelona. And when one is in love and sick, one does crazy things.
— What kind of crazy things?
— Barcelona's tourism promotion has an impact on hotels, shops, and restaurants. However, I was forbidden for the Barça squad to stay in one of my hotels, thus avoiding what people would say.
— I remember, however, some team gatherings at the old Princesa Sofia.
— We made only one exception with Johan [Cruyff] who was a good friend and fell in love with the Princesa Sofia and the Juan Carlos I because they were two hotels next to Camp Nou. To be clear, Barça did not contribute anything to my business but it was my great passion and I wanted Barça members to be fully happy with the team and the new signings.
— You were key in the signings of Maradona, Romario, Ronaldo, or Rivaldo. They say Platini slipped away from you and you suffered Figo's betrayal.
— The coaches would give me assignments and I had to negotiate with the players. All of this has changed a lot. Before, you had to convince the player's parents and now, you have to negotiate with the agent, the advisors, or the team of tax specialists without the player appearing at any time.
"Barça did not contribute anything to my business but it was my great passion and I wanted Barça members to be fully happy with the team and the new signings"
— What relationship did you forge with all the stars of the team and world football?
— I made my house available for lunch or dinner with the player and his family. I took care of their health and their problems beyond the professional sphere. Some Barça players even made me godfather to their children, so imagine the extent of the family relationship. It was 80% of the time and it should have been only 20%.
— What do you recommend doing with this 20%?
— One must dedicate time to people who have nothing. I had the great fortune of meeting Mother Teresa of Calcutta who instilled in me the importance of helping others. I remember a phrase of hers where she said that it is better not to expect the most disadvantaged people to thank you, but rather that one must be grateful for the opportunity to be able to help.
— Thank you for helping!
— Mother Teresa of Calcutta was made a Saint. She helped a lot and dignified death.
— What else do you tell young people?
— Not to get angry or upset with all the people who think that money is made at Barça, at the CEOE or at Turismo de Barcelona. It is a lie that you get rich thanks to an unpaid position or to having certain relationships. If you don't want something, don't do it, and even less so out of vanity or ego.
"It is a lie that you get rich thanks to an unpaid position or to having certain relationships. Do nothing out of vanity or ego"
— Were you happy as vice-president of Barça?
-Very much! President Nuñez and I wanted to continue as vice-president, but Lluis Bassat told me he didn't want to know anything about the past... Then vanity and ego got the better of me and I ran for president.
— So you didn't want to be president then?
— I was very happy with what I was doing and it served its purpose. The president of Barça has to be passionate but not sick with the club. Everything has limits. When one is sick, one cannot assume a responsibility. Perhaps one day they offer you to be mayor, councilor or minister...
— I don't think so!
— In any case, do it because you believe in it, not because it suits you or you like it. You have to be careful and not make mistakes.
— Learn to say no.
— This is a problem, eh! Yes is yes in Spain, but in China they don't know how to say no because it's a word they don't know. You have to know how to say no!
"The best president of Barça was the founder Joan Gamper and the second best president was Nuñez"
— What was Barça like side by side with Nuñez?
— The best president of Barça was the founder Joan Gamper and the second best president was Nuñez. He was an outstanding person! Nuñez was a very good businessman who cared about economic management and left the sports part to me. I interacted a lot with Romario, Ronaldo, Schuster, Zubizarreta, Bakero or Alexanko.
— He was president of Barça until he resigned in 2003.
— Resignation is linked to infatuation. If you want something but see that you are not doing it well, you can keep trying or you can give up. We return to vanity and ego. After almost 30 years of having left Barça, I am one of those people that people recognize on the street, remember, and talk to for a while.
— Why?
— Because people don't forget but they remember the positive side, and that's why many consider me the most culé person in the world. I feel happy. I also tell young people that when you get older, no one appreciates or recognizes anything.
— Are we talking about senior talent?
— Years ago I wanted to create a business association with people over 60. It was the revolution of not accepting new technologies and confronting the mobile phone. I don't care about technology! I really like China because there they adore and care for older people for their experience and knowledge. I like to talk about what has changed.
"Resignation is linked to infatuation. If you want something but see that you are not doing it well, you can keep trying or you can give up. We return to vanity and ego"
— What hasn't changed?
— The cycle is the same: to be born, grow, reproduce, and die. Life is achieved the same way as thousands of years ago, and death too. The system for having a child is also the same. The only thing is that now there are also mobile phones, drones, robots... I don't accept new technologies because I don't have the capacity or I simply don't feel like learning.
— How do you learn to live with media pressure and constant criticism?
— Let them say what they want! If you don't want to be criticized then don't read newspapers, don't watch television, and in short, don't live in this world. Human beings do not accept criticism by nature, but negative criticism affects and positive criticism is liked. Before going to sleep, I make the gesture of disconnecting.
— What has football taught you about life?
— Forgive and don't go to sleep angry. It's better to go to sleep with a clear conscience.
— What does a good Barça president need?
— The Barça president has to be very culé and understand that this sports club is very special. All clubs are in the hands of States, investment funds, or millionaires, but Barça is owned by 130,000 people and has the support of hundreds of millions of fans from all over the world.
"All clubs are in the hands of States, investment funds, or millionaires, but Barça is owned by 130,000 people and has the support of hundreds of millions of fans from all over the world"
— Unique in the world.
— The president of Barça has to be able to generate income, put UNICEF on the shirt and understand that in an assembly of delegates there are members of all kinds.
— What does a good Barça board of directors need?
— The president of Barça has to surround himself with loyal people but above all with intelligent people who do not agree with him, who defend him and who demonstrate it. If one surrounds himself with friends, he does not do what he believes is best. Now that the elections are coming, I can tell you in advance that I will be active and say what I think.
— And what do you plan to vote for on March 15?
— Now I will vote for Laporta for all that he represents and in the last elections I voted for Víctor Font. The world of football is moved by the sporting, social and economic spheres.
— Make an assessment...
— Let's see who dares to say that Flick is not a good coach, that Lamine Yamal is not a great player or that Barça does not have a team for the present and the future. President Laporta has taken care of La Masía and has taken the plunge to build the best stadium in the world. His courage must also be recognized. And where has he made a mistake?
— You tell me.
— Laporta has made a mistake with the poor communication of the stadium and Espai Barça timings. He has embarked on very important debts, but has he put the assets at risk? No, he has put the profits of what we already are at risk. Our debt puts the stadium's profits as collateral, but not the stadium. If it goes wrong, Goldman Sachs would keep the collection profits and this would impoverish the club but not lose it.
— Any data?
— Barça will generate close to 300 million euros more with the new stadium and has a 30-year loan.
"Now I will vote for Laporta and I would make a banner that said: "Do not vote, under any circumstances, for Laporta. Signed by Florentino Pérez"
— How do you see the campaign?
— To be president, you don't have to discredit the previous one, but explain what you want to do. It will be a dirty campaign and I hope our enemies don't laugh too much. I would make a banner that said: "Do not vote, under any circumstances, for Laporta. Signed by Florentino Pérez".
— What do you mean?
— Laporta has confronted the almighty Florentino Pérez and he only has five more years of mandate to finish the work he has done so far with Barça and La Masía. We have to be grateful, let Laporta inaugurate the new Camp Nou and give him room to fix the economic aspect.
— And the next day?
— May the next one who comes find a Barça in perfect condition. I am also a very good friend of Víctor Font.
— You were also one of the founders of Sport.
— A good newspaper that still works! I remember an anecdote from a sports journalist who told me that he would go to the bar, listen to what the clientele said, and write about it. I asked him why he didn't write his opinion, and he replied that the opinion that sells is that of the people.
— Newspapers publish news and also collect opinions.
— I like journalism that gives opinions!
— What does Barça mean for Barcelona and vice versa?
— Nuñez used to say that the city of Barcelona is called that because of Barça. [He laughs]. In Catalonia there are two untouchable institutions: Montserrat and Barça. Let no one dare with La Moreneta! The culés' chant is Visca el Barça and Visca Catalunya. If you want to be loved in Catalonia you have to be from Barça. There are two very important positions in Catalonia: being president of Barça and being mayor of Barcelona.
"In Catalonia there are two untouchable institutions: Montserrat and Barça. Let no one dare with La Moreneta! I was not fit to be president of Barça and I would not have been fit as a politician either"
— Did you consider being mayor?
— No, no, no... I was not fit to be president of Barça and I would not have been fit as a politician either. I am very clear about that. A politician is born, fights, and discusses to improve. Barça unites everything and that is its greatness.
— You are also the oldest consul -of the Seychelles- in the world. What do you do?
— I am the dean of consuls in the world. I have contact with young people from the Seychelles in Barcelona, I help them with passport procedures or I travel there so they can explain the country's politics to us.
— The previous interviewee Andreu Mas-Colell asks you the following questions: Do you think tourism in Barcelona has reached its limit?
— It is not a problem of tourism, it is a problem of Barcelona which, fortunately, is a beloved and admired city. We cannot prevent people from wanting to come to Barcelona with Gaudí's centenary, the Sagrada Familia... Can it be limited? Difficult. We have to try to explain Barcelona and also Catalonia with Hospitalet, Badalona, Girona, Tarragona, Lleida and so many other cities. We also have to choose well what kind of tourism we want.
— Do you think Barça will end up with Bayern's economic model?
— No. Not in my lifetime, for sure. Barça must continue to have the model that Joan Gamper devised, and we must be very proud of it. We are unique in the world.
SEVEN LIVES
- Reference: Family.
- Book: I am a very bad reader.
- Movie: Doctor Zhivago.
- Song: Al vent by Raimon.
- Favorite spot: The Seychelles.
- Life motto: Go to sleep every night with a very clear conscience.
- Dream: To live as many years as God wishes.