Joaquim Peris de Vargas

Joaquim Peris de Vargas (1880 – 7 February 1959) was a Spanish sports leader who served as the 12th president of FC Barcelona in 1914 and 1915, as well as the president of Sant Andreu and the Catalan Football Federation in 1915.

Early life Peris was born in 1880 in Cuba, to a Valencian father, Joaquín Peris Serrano, a military man, and an Asturian mother. He was the first son of seven children, including three brothers, Agustin, Lisandro, and Enrique, who were also outstanding sportsmen and leaders.

Peris was a military man with the rank of Infantry Colonel. Following Joan Gamper's second resignation in June 1913, Peris vied for the presidency, but finished the election in third place with 59 votes, far behind Gaspar Rosés (172) and Francesc de Moxó (183). During this period, Peris became the leader of a faction within the club that supported his authoritarian leadership style, which soon clashed with those who wanted a true democracy at FC Barcelona, causing an internal conflict that Moxó was unable to resolve.

Peris' time in charge of Barça was marked by several controversies, mainly because of his dictatorial style, which led some of his players to rise against him, and once even went as far as to claim that: "I am Barcelona". He only left the club at the request of the Captain General of Catalonia, Felipe Alfau Mendoza, who forced to resign at the end of the 1914–15 season.

Also in 1915, Peris took over the presidency of both Sant Andreu and the Catalan Football Federation. He was also vice secretary of the Lawn Tennis Association, the forerunner of the Catalan Tennis Federation.