Francesc de Moxó | |
|---|---|
| Born | Francesc de Paula de Moxó i de Sentmenat (1879-03-18)18 March 1879 |
| Died | 17 April 1920(1920-04-17) (aged 41) |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | President of FC Barcelona |
| 5thPresident of the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona | |
| In office 1911–1920 | |
| Preceded by | Kendall Park |
| Succeeded by | José Vidal-Ribas [es] |
| 10thPresident of FC Barcelona | |
| In office 30 June 1913 – 30 June 1914 | |
| Preceded by | Joan Gamper |
| Succeeded by | Àlvar Presta |
| 13thPresident of the Catalan Football Federation | |
| In office 1913–1913 | |
| Preceded by | Josep Preckler |
| Succeeded by | Narciso Masferrer |
| 1st Barcelona Fencing Association | |
| Assumed office 1913 | |
Francesc de Paula de Moxó i de Sentmenat (18 March 1879 – 17 April 1920)[1] was a Spanish politician and sports leader, who served as the 10th president of thefootball clubFC Barcelona in 1913 and 1914, as well as the 5th and 13th president of theReal Club de Tenis Barcelona andCatalan Football Federation respectively.[2][3][4] He was also a journalist and financial manager of magazine "Stadium".[2]
Francesc de Moxó was born on 18 March 1879 inCalle dels Caçadors,Barcelona, as the son of Dídac Moxó (also spelled Moixó) (1857–1926), and of theMarquise de Sant Mori [ca], Maria Mercè de Sentmenat i de Patiño (1857–1935), both born in Barcelona.[1][5][a] The Marquise de Sant Mori was the promoter of theLa Salut [es] neighborhood inBadalona.
On 26 November 1906, Moxó married Francisca Güell y López, and the couple had three children, Luisa, Inés, and Antonio de Moxó y Güell, the second Marqués de San Mori.[1][5]
Throughout his life, Moxó was heavily involved in Catalan sport, presiding over the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona for nine years, between 1911 and 1920,[2][4] and under his mandate the club was moved toCarrer Ganduxer, where seven courts were installed.[2] He was also the co-founder and president of theFederació de societats esportives de Barcelona [ca] ("Federation of Sports Societies") in 1911, which had the aim of bringing together Barcelona's sports organizations to organize joint festivals, and which tried to bring order to the process of sports institutionalization and the creation of an annual sports calendar.[6][7] He also directed the Catalan Football Federation in 1913, a position that he held just for a few months, before being replaced byNarciso Masferrer.[2]
Moxó practicedfencing and competed in numerous competitions, and was also one of the founders and the first president of the Barcelona Fencing Association in 1913.[2][8] The organization gained such importance under Moxó's leadership that on 6 May 1914, it was granted the title of "Real", and for many years, it wasReal Asociación de Esgrima Barcelonesa.[8] From 1914, he directed the Yacht Club Barcelona and, later, the Aeroclub de Barcelona. He also acted as a motor racing judge in some events, such as theVolta a Catalunya.[2]
In the Assembly held on 30 June 1913, De Moxó was elected as the 10thPresident of FC Barcelona.[3][9] He put an end to the existing schism between the club and the Catalan andSpanish Federations, and managed to get Barça reintegrated into both states.[9] Despite his diplomatic ability, he was unable to resolve the internal conflict that existed at the club, which divided its members between the personalists who supported authoritarianism, grouped aroundJoaquim Peris de Vargas, and those who wanted a true democracy at FC Barcelona.[9]
The other outstanding aspect of his time in charge of Barça was the progressive increase in professionalism among the players, a very controversial aspect at the time.[9] In the sporting field, De Moxó was unable to celebrate a title, as the Barcelona team finished third in theCatalan Championship, and was then unable to get past the regional classification phase of thenational cup.[9] At the end of the season, and after just one year in the presidency, on 30 June 1914, De Moxó resigned and was replaced byÀlvar Presta.[9]
In addition to being a great sportsman, Moxó was a journalist and financial manager of the magazine "Stadium", the same one he worked for.[2][10]
Moxó was also elected deputy to Congress for the district ofVilademuls (Girona) in the1919 Spanish general election, for theUnión Monárquica Nacional.[11]
De Moxó died in Barcelona on 17 April 1920, at the age of 40.[1][12]