2024-11-26 19:59:00
Girona, a city with 100,000 inhabitants around 100 kilometers from Barcelona, became known as a filming location for the US TV series Game of Thrones. For the city’s sporting figurehead, it is a man with a well-known name who pulls the strings in the background. Pere Guardiola has been the club’s CEO since 2020. Josep Guardiola’s younger brother initially acted as an agent for a French investor group before guests from the United Arab Emirates were introduced to Spain’s first promotion to the top football league in 2017.
The City Football Group joined the “Albirojos” – the white-reds – and acquired 44.3 percent of the shares. The investors are no strangers to football. Starting with the driving force Manchester City, the group’s portfolio now includes no less than twelve clubs from South America, Asia, the USA and Europe. At that time, Josep Guardiola was already working as head coach in Manchester, while his brother continued to act as the mouthpiece of the Girona Football Group. The majority of these shares have now been acquired by the billionaire Bolivian-American entrepreneur Marcelo Claure. In addition to financial security, this also brings the club a lot of external know-how.
“There are synergies with City on a sporting level. But in administration, marketing and equipment we have a big advantage because of our owners,” said Girona sports director Quique Carcel to the sports portal “The Athletic”. He led the scouting of young players. It is difficult for a club like Girona to convince them to change. With the prospect of a commitment in England, things work better. Girona has also been based in Manchester for years in preparation. The City Football Academy Girona, which is currently being set up, will increasingly develop its own talent in the future.
Gala gives Sturm courage for the Champions League
The 7-0 win against SK Austria Klagenfurt in the domestic Bundesliga has boosted SK Sturm Graz’s self-confidence. Good conditions for the meeting with Girona in the Champions League on Wednesday.
High flight and mixed CL debut
In terms of sport, things didn’t always go smoothly; from 2019 to 2022, Girona had to go back to the second division. The Catalans surprised in the previous season. The outsider took the lead and stayed in the top ranks until the end – sometimes even ahead of the big FC Barcelona. This was made possible by a good mix of veterans, good newcomers such as Ukrainian striker Artem Dowbyk (24 goals this season) and loanees such as Savinho and Yan Couto, who are under contract with the City Group. Dowbyk has now left for AS Roma for 30 million euros, Savinho is playing for Manchester City and Couto is on loan for Borussia Dortmund.
Successful coach Michel stayed with the club. The 49-year-old struggled with injuries at the start of the season. The first appearances in the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain (0:1) and Feyenoord Rotterdam (2:3) were lost. After a 2-0 win against Slovan Bratislava, there was a recent rebuff against PSV Eindhoven (0-4). At the weekend, Girona impressed with a 4-1 home win against Espanyol. Michel was pleased about the return of players such as the Ukrainian Viktor Zyhankov and the Colombian Yaser Asprilla, who was brought in from Watford for 18 million euros – a club record.
Against Espanyol, Girona recorded their third win in a row in the league and moved into the top six in the table. “Today our energy was palpable,” said Michel. Now it’s just a matter of the ailing players returning little by little. “We have tough games ahead of us every three days,” said the head coach, looking ahead to the trip to Austria. Michel was hoping for a performance like on Saturday. “That was the Girona I want to see.”
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