"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 him. He feels more comfortable with this combination, which is usually adorned with one of the various Barça ties in his wardrobe. look It was also what he wore on Sunday during the celebration of the League title at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium, where he had no problem breaking protocol and dancing with the players The shield on the chest 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, and now we're celebrating. We Catalans are like that; when someone stumbles, we all go out to try to bring them down," a person close to Laporta laments to ARA. "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 been privately relaxed during the La Liga season, has so far opted not to publicly address the Barça camp and has limited himself to announcing that he will run again in the 2026 elections. The only criticism has been directed at "sociological Real Madridism" over the Negreira case and the "These last few weeks have been very intense," a person from Barça's elite told this newspaper. "We've really enjoyed seeing that there's an exaggerated generational change among the fans. You could see it on the street. You saw children and teenagers who have these players as idols, who have fallen in love with them."

But this group of fans still can't vote. Since Aristides Maillol, the sporting triumphs of the Barça men's first team and the probable possibility that the women's team will win their third consecutive Champions League on Saturday have also been seen as a guarantee of institutional tranquility in the medium and long term (they will have to be celebrated no later than May 2026), despite these titles, and shit and stories will come out," the same person predicts. "That the president runs for election and almost everyone now assumes that he will bring a lot of tranquility to the club because all the positions on the management committee will not be changed suddenly again, as happens every time there are 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 large 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 euros were budgeted) and that the 1:1 rule in the transfer market can be used. 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 course that is about to end and, finally, will not have to be seen until now. spoken about the income) and if Barça will carry out any operation in the transfer market before June 30, Laporta has announced that there will be reinforcements.