Laporta and the boomerang effect

BarcelonaLet's be honest. If you go out on the street and ask Barça fans about the meaning of BLM, many will think it might refer to the initials of some players. It's the old rule of thumb: what matters most to fans is scoring goals and winning titles. As the club grows and world football globalizes and becomes a den of global wolves where it's hard to compete, it's hard to follow Barça news off the pitch. It's become filled with technical terms and anglicisms.

This week, Partner Marc Ciria has attempted to collect signatures to include in the agenda from the assembly one point to vote against the possible sale of 49.9% of the company Barça Licensing & Merchandising. That is, from BLM. Ciria submitted a higher number than what was required according to its bylaws. He needed the support of at least 3% of eligible members, about 2,888 signatures. He brought 3,316 notarized signatures; however, once reviewed, the club announced that he had fallen far short of his goal, as many were invalid. Ciria complains that the census data is unclear and that it's difficult to challenge. And the board may think it had had enough time and publicity to collect 2,888 signatures. Some laugh, while others look on with a sour face.

Ultimately, it's a good thing that issues like BLM can be discussed. Barça's joy is to debate everything, to have values, to maintain the awareness that members have a voice and a vote. The club needs to maintain that democratic spirit. Laporta did it when he was in opposition and did well. Now there are people like Ciria, who also do it for electoral gain and do well. But they'll have to rethink their strategy if they truly want to challenge Laporta. The current president dominates the scene, and only a sporting disaster could hurt him.

Rather than wearing him down, it feels like the BLM debate has strengthened Laporta, who can flaunt signatures that aren't worth anything and end up saying there's no need to debate anything because he doesn't want to sell his 49.9% stake in BLM either. He turns attacks into a boomerang, turning them around and punishing opponents, who try to raise their voices by bringing up names like BLM, Limak, or the Super League, but who fail to wear down a man who, if he keeps Lamine Yamal and Aitana happy, will walk firmly toward reelection. In the end, it all depends on the ball. Perhaps for that reason, it would be good if the assembly returned to how it was before the pandemic. It would be a good sign of democratic management. Otherwise, we might think that Laporta is afraid of losing a few votes or doesn't like the idea that someone might tell him that his speeches are moving, but that his administration is full of shady files that need to be addressed.