Legal director of the Kosmos group and responsible for the football area. Personal lawyer of Gerard Piqué and president of FC Andorra. The role of Ferran Vilaseca (Barcelona, ??1975) in the business of the ex-Barça footballer has not stopped growing since the company was born in 2017. Trained at Esade and Harvard, Vilaseca has combined several key roles so that Kosmos has ceased to be a start-up.
Why did Piqué choose him to preside over Andorra?
I arrived as legal director of the Kosmos group in 2017. And one of the projects that was born was the purchase of a club. Then the possibility of Andorra came up through our local partners in Clayton. Gerard quickly saw that it was a great opportunity because of its originality, because there was a country behind it and because it was disruptive. At that time there were very few of us in the group and I had a background in the world of football, so we decided that I would be the president of the club.
He was also one of the architects when it came to bringing the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia.
Beyond all the noise, we are very proud of it. The evolution of the agreement has shown that it was a good bet. Saudi Arabia is on everyone’s lips today with the League they have and we were pioneers. The football situation in the country and LaLiga’s relationship with Visit Saudi has fallen under its own weight. It is a country that strongly bets on sport and is opening up. Jon Rahm is the latest example.
Can Andorra dream of playing in the Champions League one day?
In the short term we want to consolidate the team in Segona and professional football. But we believe that where we can create more income for being in Andorra and having a country behind us, but also in front of the League because of our uniqueness, is in the First Division. This is our goal. We’ll get it sooner or later or we won’t get it… but that’s our ambition.
Is Pique putting pressure on them to get promotion?
Gerard is very ambitious [laughs]. Our DNA both at Kosmos and in Andorra is to always think big.
Do you follow the club closely?
Gerard is on the lookout for all the businesses he invests in. He loves to work, to work in a team, and to be deeply involved in everything he does. But he knows how to delegate and it’s a pass for the freedom he gives you. His opinion is important for signings and in matches he can relax more than me because he is on the other side of the field.
At what point are these aspirations?
It’s a moment that should be very beautiful, but day-to-day reality doesn’t let you enjoy it. Now we play against Espanyol, we will play a match against a team with a lot of history and with players from the First Division. We enjoy this moment. Within the planning we are going as we wanted, but we have to see if we can shorten this consolidation period as much as possible.
Will Piqué attend the match against Espanyol?
I’m sure he’ll be there.
Could it be the beginning of a new rivalry?
Sportingly, we are really looking forward to them, I won’t deceive you. We suckled from our illustrious president, at Kosmos. We are Andorra fans and we know how much Gerard is looking forward to this match, like everyone else. As our own organization, we are already looking forward to playing against Espanyol and offering a great match. We hope Gerard can enjoy it a lot.
After bordering on the playoffs in their first year in Segona, this year they are far from the top positions.
The second year in sports is the most complicated. This is when there is usually a catharsis and you have to adapt again.
Are people stuck in Andorra?
When you grow up so fast you don’t get to everything. We are trying to grow the fabric of the club’s fans, but we are in an environment with a small population. Even so, we are finding our place in the country, making a place between rugby and basketball. We are growing, but I also think this is where we have the most room for improvement.
Will FC Andorra play in Andorra next year?
We are talking to the different actors who were previously in the stadium to live together as best as possible. Inevitably we have to agree. FC Andorra must play in Andorra, the Government of Andorra has understood it that way. There are moments of tension, it’s obvious, but we have reviewed the situation and are working to find a solution so that we can play in a stable stadium in Andorra. Right now the word is cooperation between all the sports estates in the country.
Are you afraid that the Kings League will displace Andorra more in the interests of Piqué?
When you have a company with different investments there are moments of greater intensity. Now the King’s League is the flagship project within Kosmos, and we are happy and proud of it. But we have not left out Andorra or other projects, and we are open to more coming.
Is FC Andorra still a start-up?
We are because we don’t come from traditional football. As a basic premise, we are a grassroots club. We identified a game model – the Barça DNA – and from there we built a club and an organisation. We try to do professional management using big data to analyze which profiles are best suited to the roles we need.
Can football be predicted?
We analyze a lot of data from matches, rivals and potential signings. In this we consider that we are a little different. Although in football there are key components: daily work, believing in what you do and staying firm. And the ball, luck, dynamics, knowing how to manage them and not panic.
