"Despite the titles, shit will come out": the obstacles in Joan Laporta's paved road

BarcelonaThere are people close to Joan Laporta who tell him it would be better for a Barça president to pair his suit with non-sports footwear. But he has his own style, both communicatively and institutionally, and at this point no one will change it. He feels more comfortable with this combination, which is usually adorned with one of the various Barça ties in his wardrobe. look He was also the one who wore it on Sunday during the celebration of the League title at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, where he had no problem breaking protocol and dancing with the players The cut to the pit in the presence of the mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, and the president of the RFEF, Rafa Louzán. Anyone would blame him for anything, given the energy he carries.

"A few months ago they wanted to impose a vote of no confidence on him, and now we're celebrating. We Catalans are like that; when someone slips up, we all go out to try to bring them down," laments a person close to Laporta in the ARA newspaper. "The presidency, the coach, and the kids have done an enormous job, and these are the fruits of the work," he claims. Laporta, who has remained uninhibited in private during the La Liga celebrations, has so far opted not to publicly settle scores with the Barça entourage and has limited himself to announcing that he will run again in the 2026 elections. The only criticism has been directed at "sociological Real Madrid" over the Negreira case and at La Liga and the RFEF over the Olmo case. "These last few weeks have been very intense," a person close to Barça's top brass tells this newspaper. "We've really enjoyed seeing the huge generational shift among the fans. It was evident on the street. You saw children and teenagers who idolize these players, who have fallen in love with them."

But this group of fans still can't vote. Aristides Maillol believes the sporting triumphs of Barça's men's first team and the likely possibility of the women's team winning a third consecutive Champions League on Saturday are also seen as a guarantee of institutional tranquility in the medium and long term. "When we return from the summer, starting in September, the electoral drumbeat will already begin [elections must be held no later than May 2026] despite these titles, and shit and stories will come out," the same person predicts. "The fact that the president is running for election and almost everyone now assumes he will win gives the club a lot of peace of mind because all the positions on the management committee won't be changed all at once, as happens every time there is a change of president."

Potential obstacles in the way

Once the Women's Champions League final is over, the club's finances will likely be a topic that will once again be part of the Barça debate. The 2024-2025 financial year will close on June 30th. It's the next final Barça will have to face, and this time it won't be a sporting one. "We're on track to close with a profit," they assert from the royal offices. "Budgets are always a lie, at Barça and at any company. And you realize that in January. From then on, you start to straighten things out. Besides, the sporting season will involve a huge amount of money." The asterisk is that winning titles also means succulent bonuses for the squad. Laporta explained on Monday in an interview on TV3 He estimates that around 950 million euros in revenue will be generated this season (893 million was budgeted) and that the 1:1 rule in the transfer market will be able to be reinstated. That is, if the president's optimistic forecast comes true, Deco will be able to spend every euro he earns on signings.

There are three major economic factors that can affect the closing of the current fiscal year for better or worse: the auditor's decision on whether to accept or not the leverage of the seats VIP; the valuation of the digital business (the major conflict with the auditor at the last closing) following the takeover of Bridgeburg Invest by Barça Media and the fact that, in the budget, Barça planned to return to the Camp Nou during this season, which is about to end, but ultimately, this has not been the case. It will also be necessary to see how far the season's expenses will go, what the profits will be (the president, for now, has only spoken about income), and whether Barça will carry out any operations in the transfer market before June 30. Laporta has announced that there will be reinforcements.