Victor Font: It's necessary to support La Masia not just pay lip service to it LaLiga Santander - Barcelona Strong words

Believing that the club needs an urgent change in the management model if it intends to compete in the coming years with the big clubs backed by magnates or states, Victor Font wants to be Barcelona president and his opening gambit is to accuse the current board of only paying lip service to their La Masia academy.

Once the envy of football club's worldwide, Font is unhappy that what was a thriving youth production line is now only producing talent good enough for the first team on an occasional basis.

"I don't think La Masia is sick," he said.

"But many people responsible for the training of players who know the model and should be at the service of the club, have left.

"To make sure that La Masia produces on a consistent basis, you have to really take care of it, not pay lip service to it and be a mouthpiece.

"It's about putting the people who know the model from the first team to the grassroots in charge."

Font also believes that a return to the style of Johan Cruyff is imperative.

"After realising that the Cruyff model was successful, the club has, at times, taken decisions that are not consistent with this," he continued.

"In recent years there have been coaches who didn't have a Barcelona profile.

"They've been assigned relevant responsibilities but don't believe or have knowledge of the model.

"Therefore, decisions have been made in terms of signings and departures that are not consistent with that model."

Questioned further, Font was forthright.

"Our concern is the Barcelona of 2025 if we want to preserve the current ownership model of the club," he added.

"The current method of income generation creates uneasiness because we will have difficulties to continue competing at a high level.

"In the last ten years we haven't innovated and the football club hasn't been managed professionally.

"The management of in-house talent have not followed a fixed idea and, if we continue like this we could become another Milan.

"That's a real possibility."

He also has a clear idea of what his board will look like.

"Former players have to be in charge of the strategic decisions in their field," he said.

"For football you need ex-players, not a name necessarily, but people who know how to analyse, understand and know the game model we want to defend.

"Pique is another example of someone with a lot of talent, not only in football, but who has other concerns that should be channeled for the good of the club. "