Basically, this is a pioneering initiative in our country within the world of sport, which uses the formula that other foundations already have in place, such as the Carreras Foundation or the Pasqual Maragall. “Members and fans can give financial support to the foundation’s charitable activities, leaving a social legacy that lasts,” explains Segú. The Foundation, which will be 30 years old next year in 2025, will be in charge of using the donations to continue changing people’s lives. “Donations are made to the foundation, not to the club,” Segú makes clear. That is to say, the proposal is that it is a way to help with charitable purposes, it is not about helping to sign players. The solidarity testament exists in clubs such as Manchester United, in England. Betis has explored doing the same, but without giving it visibility, unlike Barça, which wants to spread the news to all its fans, as you don’t need to be a member to do so. The will is “an easy, economical and reversible procedure. Any interested person can give the Foundation all or part of their inheritance by specifying their decision in front of a notary. The cost of the procedure is about 50 euros,” they explain to the Foundation, where they offer free legal advice to those interested. Donations can be made from any corner of the planet, in fact.
The Foundation works together with the law firm of José María del Romero, specialist in inheritances. Romero is an experienced lawyer who has handled all kinds of donations and inheritances, some of them surprising, such as sinking ships or people leaving part of their inheritance to entities that, in theory, do not need help, such as banks . Others, when the time comes to put their whole life in order, think of Barça. “I already have a lot of experience in helping foundations to have the solidarity will, and it must be said that the aid program of the Barça foundation has moved me,” says Romero. Your law firm will handle everything with the relatives of the person leaving part of the inheritance to the club, to make sure everything is clear and easy. “If a person leaves 30% of their property to the Foundation, we will work with them to complete everything. If there is an apartment, 30% would go to the Foundation, so we would talk to the other heirs to find the best way to get the money to charity projects,” explains Romero. The donor’s relatives or the donor himself, however, cannot choose the Foundation’s projects where the money will go. “No one can know when it’s time to die. Maybe when it happens the projects are finished and we have new ones. What we can guarantee is that all donations will go to our initiatives. We want maximum transparency and everything will appear in the memory well explained” argues Segú, who admits that it is difficult to imagine how many people will join. “My experience says that people, no matter what they say, are supportive. Many people want to help, many people leave part of their inheritance to foundations,” adds Romero.
Other Foundation projects
The Foundation’s new initiative is already underway just a few months before it celebrates its 30th anniversary. Looking ahead to 2025, events are being prepared such as a gala to collect funds on the lawn of the new Spotify Camp Nou, when it is completed, or an exhibition by the photographer Kim Manresa at the Palau Robert in Barcelona. In addition, the Foundation is working on new projects, such as one that is thought up with the writer Albert Espinosa, called “blue bracelets”, aimed at children who are in hospitals; or a talk on Monday, December 9 against racism with the presence of UNESCO Deputy Director Gabriela Ramos, Joan Laporta and Lilian Thuram. In addition, Segú will travel next week to meet with mayors of towns in Valencia affected by DANA, to see how they can help. “Many people still don’t know everything we do at the Foundation, we invite everyone to join us” concludes Segú.
