Suffering, suffering much more than expected, but Bayern achieved the objective: to eliminate Real Madrid and qualify for the Champions League semi-finals (4-3, 6-4 on aggregate). Despite having a 1-2 from the first leg at the Bernabéu, the Bavarians needed a goal in the last minute from Luis Díaz, when the whites were playing with 10 men, and a goal from Olise in stoppage time to secure passage to the penultimate round of the competition. Madrid fell with honor, but fell, and is condemned to a second season without a trophy.

The starting eleven of Barça in the derby against Espanyol contrasted, and a lot, with what Atlético de Madrid presented against Sevilla. While the Blaugranas made some small rotations but maintained the backbone of the starting team, the Mattress makers made many rotations. This is how the story ended on the scoreboard: Barça won and left La Liga almost sealed; on the other hand, Atlético de Madrid lost in Seville. While it is true that Cholo Simeone had some notable absences, he took the Champions League into much greater account, aware that in the league tournament he has nothing left to fight for and that he prefers a starting eleven with fresh legs in the second leg of the quarter-finals.

Real Madrid dropped three golden points in Mallorca (2-1) in another poor game from Álvaro Arbeloa's team. A goal from Muriqi in stoppage time canceled out the equalizer the whites had achieved a few minutes earlier and left Barça with a clear path, who currently have a four-point lead and can extend it tonight if they beat Atlético de Madrid at the Metropolitano.

Beyond the embarrassment, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) faces a sanction from FIFA after the Islamophobic chants at the friendly match against Egypt in Cornellà-El Prat. The punishment ranges from a match for the senior team "with a limited number of spectators" and "a fine of at least 20,000 Swiss francs (21,600 euros)," according to regulations in cases of discriminatory chants in the stands. And it could even mean prohibiting "la roja" from playing at Espanyol's stadium again.

It is not expected that any director, executive or technician of Barça will openly admit to having made a mistake in the renovation of the Camp Nou. However, internally the club knows perfectly well that they made a mistake with the first tier and that a solution must be found imminently to fix the visibility problems. The provisional measure involves blocking the sale of the first rows of seats. But this is just a band-aid. That's why there is some urgency to correct the visibility problems that have become evident since the reopening.

Josep Maria Bartomeu (Barcelona, 1963) arrived at the presidency of Barça with the resignation of Sandro Rosell in 2014. A year later, and thanks to a treble, he would win the elections by a landslide. But he could not exhaust his term, a victim of poor sporting results and the economic crisis derived from the coronavirus. He resigned in October 2020. Five and a half years later, he attends to ARA after declining to be interviewed on several occasions. He presents himself at the newsroom with documents to defend his economic management.

Barça is once again a victim of the FIFA virus. Raphinha suffers an injury to the right thigh's femoral biceps and will be out for around five weeks, as confirmed by Barça after the medical tests carried out by the Brazilian national team. The player was withdrawn injured from the friendly he played on Thursday with Brazil after feeling a twinge in the back of his right leg and will return to Barcelona in the coming hours to begin his recovery. ARA had already reported that the footballer's initial sensations were not good at all and everything pointed to a muscle tear. The club is unhappy with the calendar for scheduling friendly matches at this point in the season when teams are fighting for titles.

The summer of 1994 was a pivotal one for Camp Nou. Then-president Josep Lluís Núñez spearheaded a renovation project that eliminated the moat and lowered the pitch level. This freed up a significant number of rows in the lower tier, leading to an increase in club members and season ticket holders. One of those who secured a seat was Xavier Barniol, who is among the new faces on Joan Laporta's board. The businessman, accompanied by other residents of Berguedà, enjoyed a site visit to see the construction progress firsthand. in situ From where he would watch the football. Row 2 on the side seemed like an excellent option. Of course, it wasn't all rosy. Both he and the other new season ticket holders suffered a major disappointment in the first league match: an advertising hoarding had been installed that blocked a significant portion of the pitch.

The Camp Nou renovation works have become a mountain of uncertainties and broken promises. From the initial return date for the first occupancy permits, to the cost overruns of the renovation, and continuing with the construction of the roof. The only thing that is known for certain is that it must be finished by the summer of 2029 because the bid to host the Champions League final is serious.

Shaking bottles of cava and smoking a cigar at Luz de Gas: that's how Joan Laporta ended his election night after to renew the mandate in the presidency of BarçaA nod to the past, as if mocking the many criticisms he had received for his methods, but summarizing in images the happiest moments of a leader who, like everyone, has great successes and shortcomings, but above all, possesses something that makes him special: charisma. Nothing new, and the main asset of a short but intense election campaign. If in 2021 he was the favorite and won the elections convincingly, on Sunday he doubled down with a landslide victory that surprised even his own supporters.

It was enough to listen closely to confirm, in the morning, that Joan Laporta was all but certain to win re-election. At least, that's what the vast majority of club members leaving the Camp Nou polling station were telling the pollsters. Few candidates navigate crowds as effectively as Joan Laporta. Politicians included. The Barça president was making the most of his people skills on an election day that confirmed what many already suspected: he exudes irresistible magnetism and is a seasoned political operator. Following the Barça maxim of doing the important work early, the polling tent was already packed in the morning and remained a hive of activity until the football match kicked off at 4:15 p.m. It was surely the only moment of respite for the club staff manning the polling stations. The calm before the storm, because, after the match, the queues returned, a steady trickle until nine o'clock, the closing time of the polling stations that had been open for twelve hours.

The election campaign for the presidency of FC Barcelona has now ended. The day of reflection comes after candidates Joan Laporta and Víctor Font spent Friday carrying out their final campaign events to win over undecided voters. The promises, proposals, and projects now remain in the minds of the club's supporters, who will have to decide on Sunday whether to re-elect Laporta or opt for the change proposed by Font. The final day of the campaign served to deliver the last messages and tie the finishing touches to an intense month of events and commitments, culminating in a closing ceremony for each candidate. It was a way to honor and thank the numerous volunteers who supported the projects, from collecting signatures to providing logistical support for the presidential hopefuls. Joan Laporta chose La Pedrera for his final event. The president, seeking re-election, gave a nod to the centenary of Antoni Gaudí's death at a party that brought together 250 friends. To shouts of "President, president," Laporta indulged in one last bask in the adulation of the crowd, during which, as he admitted, he would eventually become emotional.

Former FC Barcelona president Enric Reyna has died in Barcelona at the age of 85. He led the club in the months leading up to the 2003 elections, in which Joan Laporta won the presidency for the first time. A businessman in the construction and hotel sectors, he was part of Joan Gaspart's board and led the club from February 13 to May 5, 2003, during one of the most turbulent periods in the club's recent history. After his resignation, and following the formation of an interim committee chaired by Joan Trayter, elections were held, which Reyna won against Joan Laporta for the first time. Born in Barcelona on May 15, 1940, Reyna became a Barça member on September 15, 1965. In 2000, Josep Lluís Núñez stepped down as Barça president and called early elections, which Gaspart won. Reyna, who considered himself a "good friend" of Gaspart, whom he had known for years through their hotel business, joined the Barça board of directors, although it wasn't until 2002 that he became first vice-president. By then, Barça was already immersed in a major economic and sporting crisis. Gaspart, who was beginning to feel pressure to resign, needed someone he could trust to take the reins of the club. Finally, he announced his resignation on February 12, 2003, and the following day Reyna became the 40th president in Barça's history. According to the statutes, he could have served until 2004. This was, in fact, his initial intention.

The election campaign for the presidency of Barça ends at midnight tonight. Joan Laporta and Víctor Font will hold their respective closing events, in what will be their final attempts to win over members who are still undecided. They will likely be much more relaxed than they were on Thursday night, when Laporta and Font faced off on TV3 in the second and final debate before Sunday's election. There was anticipation to see how the two candidates would react, having already participated in a head-to-head debate on Monday – organized by the Godó Group. stilted, heated, and full of reproacheswhere mutual accusations overshadowed projects and proposals for the future. Thursday was more or less the same. Even with a bit more tension.

Ferran Olivé has gradually gained prominence at Barça during Joan Laporta's second term. A psychiatrist by profession, Olivé has been one of the key figures on the board, where he has served as treasurer.

The election campaign for the presidency of Barça has been full of surprises and unexpected players. While until now most of the club's current coaches (such as Hansi Flick and Xavi Pascual) had positioned themselves in favor of Joan Laporta, Xavi Hernández appeared this SundayFormer first-team coach, to join Víctor Font's team. The Terrassa native, in an interview with The VanguardThe interview left the current former president and his right-hand man, Alejandro Echevarría, looking like dirt. It questioned his management and the power this second actor wields, accusing the president of blocking a hypothetical return of Leo Messi in 2023 to prevent the Argentine from acting as a counterweight.

Xavi Hernández has broken his silence for the first time since leaving Barça. "I want to tell my truth. I decided not to make any statements after leaving the club out of respect for Barça," the Terrassa native said in an interview. The VanguardThe former Barcelona coach has explained his version of events after being dismissed. "I'm out because I stood up to Alejandro Echevarría. That's how this Barça works; it's practically run by Alejandro Echevarría, who went around talking to players like Sergi Roberto, Araujo, Pedri, and Raphinha and told them I wanted to sell them." The Terrassa native explained that after announcing his departure at the end of the season, the board tried to convince him to stay, although he had doubts. After Barça's elimination against PSG in the Champions League, Echevarría—Laporta's right-hand man—told Xavi that most of the directors weren't sure about him continuing. However, according to Xavi, at a dinner at Laporta's house, she convinced him to stay. "I only asked for one change in the squad; we were only letting go of one player, not ten."

Lluís Carrasco had a great reputation as a publicist, but it was thanks to the 2021 Barça elections that he became known to the general public. He was Joan Laporta's campaign manager and the mastermind behind the banner. Looking forward to seeing you again Just a few meters from the Bernabéu. But this time, he's watching from the sidelines.

Maria Elena Fort (Barcelona, ​​1970) speaks as a member of Joan Laporta's candidacy for the presidency of Barça, but above all as the former institutional vice-president and former board member responsible for Espai Barça. The Barcelona lawyer, the only woman on the outgoing Barça board, speaks to ARA 10 days before the eagerly awaited re-election.

Pending official confirmation, Joan Laporta will face two rivals in the FC Barcelona presidential elections on March 15. The deadline for submitting the 2,337 valid signatures required to qualify for the election closed this Monday, and in addition to the incumbent, who obtained 8,171 signatures, Víctor Font (5,144) and Marc Ciria (2,844) also reached the minimum threshold. Xavier Vilajoana (1,593) is therefore out of the running, as was the case in the 2021 elections. The other two pre-candidates, Daniel Juan (84) and William Maddock (9), played only a minor role.