Players Off to Training Camp, Board Stays for a Bigger Loan

FC Barcelona will begin their training camp at St. George’s Park without Joan Laporta, Deco or any members of the board. According to Mundo Deportivo, the squad will fly to England on Monday, while the club’s directors remain in Barcelona. A board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday and may set the date of an extraordinary assembly to approve an increase in the Espai Barça loan.

Deco is expected to join the team on Wednesday, with Laporta arriving on Friday for the friendly against Birmingham City. Flick will therefore prepare the squad for the new season while the president focuses on an area in which Barça have shown remarkable consistency — moving today’s financial problems into tomorrow’s budget.

This was supposed to be a training camp in England, but the real endurance session will take place in Barcelona. The players will stretch their muscles while the board stretches the credit line. Everyone at Barça has their own pre-season programme.