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Barcelona members on Sunday turned out for Joan Laporta, the leader of one of the Spanish LaLiga football club’s most successful periods, as he was elected as the new president, replacing Josep Maria Bartomeu.
Sunday’s election registered the second-highest turnout of the eight elections staged during Barcelona’s 121-year history, with 56 300 votes cast representing 51 percent of the electoral role. Laporta, who led Barcelona between 2003 and 2010, secured a clear victory with 30 184 (54.28 percent) of the votes cast.
Víctor Font gained 16 679 (29.99 percent), while Antoni Freixa was backed by 4 769 (8.58 percent) of Barcelona members.
However, the fact that 3 628 members chose to spoil their vote, and a further 351 left theirs blank, illustrates the task facing Laporta on his return to power.
Laporta’s previous tenure saw Barcelona lift the LaLiga trophy on four occasions, and win the Uefa Champions League twice.
He will replace Bartomeu, who was re-elected to serve a new six-year term as president in July 2015, as Barcelona members opted for continuity over the promise of reform put forward by Laporta at the time.
Bartomeu replaced Sandro Rosell, whom he served under as vice-president, in January 2014 after his predecessor resigned due to allegations of tax fraud relating to the signing of Brazilian forward Neymar.
In October, Bartomeu announced his resignation to avoid a vote of no confidence. This came amid growing unease over his presidency after a high-profile falling-out with star player Lionel Messi, who handed in a transfer request last summer before eventually agreeing to stay, along with poor on-pitch results and worsening finances.
Earlier that month, Barcelona announced losses of €97m ($115.1m) for the 2019-20 financial year, saying that the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic had led to a €203m decrease in expected revenues. Yesterday’s elections also came at the end of a week in which Barcelona found itself in the headlines, for the wrong reasons.
Barcelona, along with fellow LaLiga teams Real Madrid, Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna, were dealt a blow after the Court of Justice of the European Union upheld an earlier ruling from its executive arm stating that the clubs should pay back what is deemed to be illegal state aid.
Meanwhile, Bartomeu appeared before a judge on March 2 following a night in jail while being investigated for possible irregularities during his tenure. Bartomeu and other Barcelona officials were arrested after Catalan police raided the club’s headquarters in a search and seizure operation.
Along with the financial situation, Messi’s future and improving the club’s on-pitch fortunes, Laporta will also need to steer Espai Barça – the development project for the Camp Nou and other club facilities.
Following his election, Laporta said of his ambitions for the presidency: “For Barça to be economically sustainable again and for Barça to be happy again. We have many challenges ahead of us and we will surely achieve them.
“We are a great family, we have a great feeling. We all have to work together to face the challenges ahead. What we can do most for Barça is to love it, to love it more than ever.” – Sport Business
Online Reporter