The big news in the Vanguardia today is Joan Gaspart's announced resignation as president of FC Barcelona. That's the only thing they were talking about this morning down at the café. As you know, the Barça (possibly excepting La Caixa, the huge savings bank) is the most important civic institution in Barcelona, with at least 100,000 dues-paying members. Several important members of the board of directors, who are also influential citizens, have resigned because of their displeasure with the fortunes of the club, and Gaspart was under tremendous pressure, even from the governing Convergence and Union Catalan nationalist party. Threatened by a possible vote of no confidence, he chucked it up yesterday and announced that he's resigning as of March 1. Enric Reyna will take over as temporary president of the club until new elections are held after the football season.

Since Gaspart took over at the beginning of the 2000-2001 season, Barça has finished fourth twice and is currently in fifteenth place in the League, has been knocked out of the Cup in the first round by second-division teams twice, and has, at least, made it to the semifinals in the Champions' League twice in a row. They are, for some ungodly reason, probably because they've played only mediocre teams except AS Roma and Newcastle, undefeated and untied in this year's Champions' League. This is inexplicable. Because they suck.

First, figure that a real star player should cost €20 million and up. Also figure that if you can sign young promises for a fraction of that cash, a couple of million or so, you're betting that one or two of them will mature into good players. Both approaches are justifiable and a wise team does both things. So, anyway, Gaspart has purchased the following players for the following amount of money (figure a euro is about a dollar): 2000-01 Overmars €39.6 million, Gerard €21.6m, Alfonso €14.8m, Petit €12.6 m. Alfonso and Petit are no longer with the team, Gerard sits on the bench, and Overmars is playing like someone who cost €3.96 rather than €39.6 million. In 2001-02 he bought Saviola for €29.8m, Geovanni for €20.6m, Christianval for €16.8m, Rochemback for €14.6m, Andersson for €8m, and the loan of Coco for €2.4m. Coco and Geovanni are already gone, Andersson and Christianval have barely played because of injuries, and Saviola and Rochemback have been disappointing so far. They ran out of money this year and only bought Riquelme for €11.5m and the loan of Sorín for €0.6m. Riquelme has been disappointing and Sorín looks like a competent, journeyman defender and not a bad deal. That's a total of 194.9 million euros, almost all pissed away. For less than that amount of money Madrid bought Zidane, Figo, and Ronaldo. Gaspart's management of the team is the most incompetent I have ever seen, even worse than the Kansas City Royals, and the Royals have the excuse that they don't have any money to spend and never did. Gaspart has got the Barça in a hole they won't get out of for at least two years while they rebuild from the youth squad and hope that at least one of these expensive guys turns it around and starts playing like he's worth the money they spent on him.