A new platform is born to dethrone Joan Laporta

BarcelonaMarc Ciria officially launched his Movement 42 on Tuesday. The Barcelona-based financier, very active in recent years in economic and institutional analyses of the presidencies of Josep Maria Bartomeu and Joan Laporta, is leading a new pre-candidacy to turn the page on the club's governance. His main asset is the "real solutions" that he and his team have presented in recent months to "generate cash" during a time of economic vulnerability and... fair play Exceeded and in order to monetize digital assets, one of the pending issues in the world of top-level football.

Movement 42 is so named because the next Barça president will be the forty-second. It's also because it's the street number where Ciria's mother's family business is located, a hair salon in the Les Corts neighborhood, the location of the Bikini nightclub, where the presentation took place and where many Barça players, especially during the Ronaldinho and Deco era, celebrated sporting successes.

"We are a candidacy to win the next Barça elections, but above all, we want to preserve the legacy. When things aren't working, they have to be changed, we have to start over. We mustn't get caught up in personal interests or entrenched positions. Our movement is the only one that has presented real solutions. We have to modernize the club with real professionals. We are not just about slogans. Prohibitive prices, the hassle of having to scavenge to buy and download tickets, the absence of a dedicated fan zone and the lack of a major sports association movement, the supporters' clubs, because right now they don't suit us," Ciria proclaimed on the Bikini stage, where he was accompanied by a rock trio. There were about 700 people in the room, mostly Barça members, on a very rainy day in the city.

Messi, a "structural" name

Another key point the Catalan financier emphasized in his presentation was Barça's connection to Leo Messi. "He can't come to the stadium secretly in the early hours," complained Ciria, who added that the Argentine is "essential" to the economic regeneration plan he has for the club, without specifying whether he envisions him as a player or in a more institutional role. "The debt has grown in recent years, we haven't increased revenue despite inflation, and perhaps because of all this, these are the last elections we'll experience as Barça members," stated the pre-candidate, who admitted to contacts with Laporta, Víctor Font, and other figures within the Barça community. For now, he will proceed alone, without forming alliances with other pre-candidates who have already announced their candidacies, such as Font himself, Xavier Vilajoana, or Joan Camprubí Montal.