Laporta leaves Barça in the hands of a loyal friend

BarcelonaThe most veteran employees of Barça remember Thursday, February 13, 2003, perfectly. The day before, Joan Gaspart had announced his resignation as president, putting an end to a disastrous administration that left the club on the brink of collapse. As stipulated in the statutes, the first vice-president, Enric Reyna, assumed the presidency. At that time, tours of the Camp Nou were already being offered, and to the guides' surprise, when they entered the presidential box, they found that the plaque with the name of the new club leader had already been hung. Reyna didn't wait even 24 hours to make it clear that he was in charge.

This Monday, with the resignation of Joan Laporta, the club will have a new president. But it is not expected that his name will appear on any marble plaque in the stadium's VIP area. Rafael Yuste takes the reins of Barça on the same day that The electoral process officially beginsA man of Laporta's utmost confidence, he will hold the most important position on the provisional board that will manage Barça until the end of the season and, if necessary, be the one to lift any trophies. The winner of the elections – even if it is Laporta – will not officially take office until July 1st. In the meantime, Yuste will sign the documents. His role is interim but with full powers.

A high school friend of Joan Laporta

Rafael Yuste, born in Barcelona in 1962, is an expert in international trade and a founding partner of Aqipa Iberia, a subsidiary of Aqipa GmbH Austria. His relationship with Joan Laporta began in high school, and since then he has been part of his inner circle. Sunday's ceremony in the VIP box, where they presented each other with Barça Gold Badges for 50 years as club members, reaffirmed this bond. Their friendship extends beyond professional relationships, to the point of participating in joint business ventures, although one of them, the Reus case, has ended in litigation, which is still ongoing. It is open, for alleged fraud..

Yuste, who has a calm and peaceful demeanor, likes to dress in a suit and tie and is mindful of his public image. He prefers to be discreet and doesn't like to make headlines when speaking to the media, a lesson he learned from Txiki Begiristain. He feels comfortable maintaining a low profile in public. That's why few associate him with boxing, the sport his father loved and which he practices whenever he has a free moment in his schedule.

In 2005, he joined the Barcelona board when Laporta suffered the first exodus of directors – among those who resigned were Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu. In 2008, after another mass exodus, Yuste became sporting vice-president, a position he has held in this second phase of Laporta's presidency.

Yuste's influence has diminished since Xavi Hernández's departure.

However, his influence eroded with Xavi Hernández's departure. Yuste, who forged a close friendship with the Terrassa-born midfielder when he was still a player, was one of those who most strongly advocated for Xavi to become the Barça coach. He was also among those who argued for him to stay. With Xavi's departure, Yuste's power within the sporting directorate diminished, while Joan Soler, the director responsible for the reserve team, was vying for his position. Just a year ago, Yuste almost jumped ship because he received an offer to become the new CEO of Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr. He declined due to conflicts of interest with his company, although it remains an option on the table. But being at Barça carries more weight. Especially with such a lucrative position. "It's where the real power lies," he has admitted in private.

On the right, Joan Laporta could still wait a few days to submit his resignation. But the Barcelona lawyer announced last week that he would resign immediately to focus on an election campaign that he will lead. With Laporta's resignation, up to two-thirds of the current board will also step down. Thus, a caretaker committee will not need to be formed, and Yuste will take the helm of the club, accompanied by Josep Cubells, the current secretary, who will become first vice-president. Everything will be finalized at Monday's meeting, where Miquel Camps, Alfons Castro, and Xavier Barbany are expected to be among the directors who will remain until the end of the season. They will be required to resign on July 1st, although if Laporta wins the election, they will be able to do so. readmit the new board with the sole caveat that they will have to be ratified at the next ordinary assembly in October.

The selection of the names that will remain at Barça is not in vain. The statutes establish that this board, even though provisional, "maintains its functions." Therefore, it can operate normally. For Laporta, it is important that this is the case, since in the event of defeat he needs people he trusts completely, people who won't hesitate to make tough decisions. In any case, even if Laporta's predictions come true and he is re-elected, Yuste and company will be responsible for closing the accounts, which the Laporta camp needs to be in the black. Also crucial is the hypothetical convening of an extraordinary assembly to ratify the agreement for the construction of two real estate projects in the United Arab Emirates, thus including the income in this season's balance sheet and achieving the much-desired 1:1 rule regarding transfers. Perhaps Yuste will want to keep a low profile in public, but behind closed doors he'll have to roll up his sleeves.