More hooks than proposals: the debate between Laporta and Font

BarcelonaThe 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.

The moderators, Maria Fernández-Vidal and Francesc Garriga, proposed asking each candidate a question and giving the other the opportunity to respond. A neat proposal that fell apart from the start. It was difficult for either candidate to respect the order of speaking, because they didn't wait until the end of each intervention and jumped in at the slightest thing someone said that bothered them. The commercial break helped to calm things down a bit and added a touch of humor with the timer, which highlighted something unusual that generated smiles: Laporta had spoken less than Font.

The candidates had taken note of Monday's debate.

Following the adage that he who strikes first strikes twice, Laporta raised his voice considerably more than in the previous head-to-head debate, when he was perhaps surprised by Font's energy. Font clearly had learned his lesson from the previous elections, in which he had shrunk considerably during the debates. Laporta accused his opponent of "denying evidence," of engaging in "demagoguery through lies," and of practicing a "ceremony of confusion throughout the campaign." In fact, he even seized upon former president Josep Maria Bartomeu's endorsement of Font to claim that he is "the main threat to the Barça model." Font continued his relentless attack. The businessman, whose message was clear, insisted on accusing the former president of "improvising," asserting that he "doubts the honesty" of his management and his word, telling him that "not telling the truth is intolerable."

Just like on Monday, the debate heated up starting with Leo Messi's failed returnThe Argentine was discussed in the second segment. Before that, the first point of contention arose with the hypothetical signing of Erling Haaland, which Font defended by saying there was already a pre-agreement with the City player. For the businessman, this was a demonstration of his ability to generate excitement. But Laporta, a seasoned veteran, responded immediately, reminding everyone that the player's agent had denied this possibility and using this circumstance to discredit him by saying he didn't have enough knowledge of the football world.

Laporta fiercely defended his management of the dressing room, boasting about a Barça that is once again a winning team, conveying the message that, in his opinion, it doesn't need too many tweaks. Just the opposite of what Font proposes, who insists on a radical change of leadership in the offices, especially in the sporting area currently headed by Deco. "We have things clear and we have a model where everyone knows what they're doing, unlike now." Laporta countered by recalling the "good connection" between coach Hansi Flick and Deco, and warned that a change in the presidential box could "jeopardize" a "winning project." Finally, Messi was barely mentioned. Laporta, unlike on Monday, knew it wasn't wise to dwell on it too much and insisted on his proposal to honor the Rosario striker with a statue and a match at the stadium. Font, on the other hand, reopened the wound of Messi's farewell.

A debate with few proposals and a lot of looking back.

Beyond the tone and the heated exchange, the debate didn't generate any major surprises. Both candidates offered minimal proposals for the future, aside from the predictable promise that, with each of them as president, the club would function at all levels. Laporta cleverly steered the debate toward the past, where he felt comfortable recalling that he took over "a broken team" and rebuilt it. When the discussion turned to finances, Font tried to hit the nail on the head regarding Laporta's management, highlighting the areas where it raises the most questions. But, once again, the former president dodged the issue and blamed everything on the legacy he inherited. A perfect excuse to justify why the 1:1 player exchange rule hasn't been implemented yet, or why, as Font accused him, "he hasn't been able to sign the players he wanted."

Aware that Economic management is complicated And since few members can decipher it accurately, Font repeatedly winked at the discontented groups. For example, the supporters' section or the members who haven't been able to get a season ticket for this return to Camp Nou and have to pay exorbitant prices to attend any match. So he offered a whole catalog of discounts for going to the stadium, a proposal that Laporta immediately echoed, also promising discounts and guaranteeing that there will be no increase in season ticket prices when the stadium is finished.

The final minute to ask for votes and a shy handshake brought to a close a debate that lasted almost an hour and a half. Sunday is the members' turn.