Laporta criticizes "scholars who lecture" and parades around the assembly.

BarcelonaDespite the 17 million losses that Barça has had in the 2024-2025 financial year, which entail a total of 230 million in accumulated losses during Joan Laporta's term in office.The virtual meeting of delegate members, as expected, was a breeze for the Barça president. The delegate members (only 553 of the 4,641 summoned voted) approved the accounts with 412 votes in favor, 84 against, and 31 blank votes. They also approved the budget for the 2025-2026 season, with an expected income of 1.075 billion euros and profit of 5 million euros (506 members voted), with 418 votes in favor, 55 against, and 21 blank votes.

"We're much better off than we were four and a half years ago. Sometimes I hear statements that surprise me. There's always room for improvement, but today we're much better off than when we arrived, that's clear. We've recovered the club's finances because we didn't heed apocalyptic predictions," Laporta explained at the Auditori 1899 during his opening speech, in which he didn't read a single note during the 34-minute duration. This week, several opposition voices, such as Víctor Font, Marc Ciria, and Joan Camprubí, had spoken out to warn that they consider the club's financial situation to be still precarious. The Barça president also quickly referred to the virtual assembly, another point of criticism from the opposition in the days leading up to the assembly. "It's an economic model and more universal," he asserted.

"There are groups that were satisfied with the club's disastrous financial situation because they want a cornered Barça. My fellow board members and I are very satisfied to have restored Barça's independence," Laporta added, referring to the pressure received from Madrid. He also asserted that "all the measures taken are to ensure that members remain the owners of the club" and raised his voice when referring to those who believe there is a danger that members will lose ownership of Barça if the club continues on its current path. "The board of directors that I chair is the guarantors that Barça belongs to its members. Perhaps we are the only guarantors. Those who say that Barça is a business, these scholars who give lessons, beware and far away."

He also addressed the sporting aspect, praising Hansi Flick, the men's first team coach, and Deco, the sporting director. "The 2024-2025 season has been historic," he said, referring to the La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Spanish Super Cup titles. "We have an exceptional group of people in the locker room. There's a rapport between the young players and the veteran players. This harmony, masterfully directed by Hansi Flick, gives us a team capable of achieving all the goals it sets for itself. It's a team with a present and a future," he predicted.

BLM's assessment

The financial close for the 2024-2025 financial year and the 2025-2026 budget were presented by Treasurer Ferran Olivé, as at the previous meeting. He was the one who spoke about the merits of BLM (Barça Licensing & Merchandising), the club's merchandising division, which generated €158 million in revenue this year. Olivé reported that its current value is €800 million and affirmed that this board of directors has never considered selling 49% of BLM. "Someone wanted to use this for purely electoral purposes because they heard that we were looking into the company's valuation," he stated.

Barça member and potential presidential candidate Marc Ciria. This week, 3,316 member signatures were presented at the club's offices. with the aim of adding an agenda item to the meeting to revoke the permission the members gave the board of directors in 2022 to sell up to 49.9% of BLM. However, Barça only considered 1,867 signatures valid, a figure insufficient to move the initiative forward.

The assembly has also served to ratify Sisco Pujol as a new member of the board of directors (only 241 members participated in the vote, which was the first after the one-hour lunch break) and Josep Solé as a new member of the Economic Committee. The members also approved the commercial agreements with Novadial Corporate, which will open fast food restaurants around the world under the Can Barça brand, and with Midea, which will be the sponsor of the left sleeve of the men's first team jersey starting next season, replacing Ambilight.