Barcelona Presidential Candidate Promises to Deliver Zidane
Copyright � 2000 Nando Media
Copyright � 2000 Agence France-Presse
BARCELONA (July 17, 2000 4:03 p.m. EDT http://www.sportserver.com) - Barcelona's presidential
campaign took a familiar twist on Monday as one candidate
promised he would sign Zinedine Zidane if he won the election.
Lluis Bassat's claim that he has a pre-contract agreement
with the French midfielder came on the same day that Florentino
Perez was elected to the top job at Real Madrid after making a
similar pledge about Luis Figo.
Bassat is second in the opinion polls, well behind outgoing
vice-president Joan Gaspart but ahead of Joan Castells in the
battle to replace Josep Lluis Nunez in the July 23 election.
"We have a pre-contract agreed with Zidane," Bassat said
during a debate between the three candidates on Monday.
"We also have an agreement with (Valencia midfielder)
Gerard and with an Argentine player."
Bassat said that Johan Cruyff, who has backed his campaign
from the start, had been behind the Zidane negotiations, meeting
with Juventus vice-president Roberto Bettega to close the deal.
"Cruyff met personally with Bettega," said Bassat of the
former Dutch international, who both played for and managed
Barcelona.
"The price would be 10,000 million pesetas ($56.21 million),
but Juventus could be willing to negotiate and the deal could
include a Barcelona player."
Gaspart, who is widely expected to win the presidential
race, hit back by saying neither Zidane nor Gerard would be
coming to Barcelona.
"From experience, I know the people who run Juventus and
Valencia and I can tell you that those players will not be
coming," he said.
