From "Barça yes, Laporta no" to a plot twist brought about by the same old shadowy power.

BarcelonaSince Barça decided close down sine die the Animation Space (EDA)By November 2024, tensions between the groups and the club had escalated. Positions were completely entrenched, and any reconciliation seemed impossible. Joan Laporta's board demanded they pay the €21,000 in fines resulting from the fans' misconduct. The groups, who doubted they were actually responsible for the sanctions, refused to pay a cent and demanded dialogue, which the club was unwilling to accept. In fact, the board took legal action and presented the Gol 1957 project to the members' assembly, a fan zone created and coordinated by the club where—given the proposed requirements—there would be no place for any of the former members. Nothing suggested that, in mid-January, there would be a twist in the plot and that both sides would sit down to talk and lay the groundwork for reconciliation.

"My first thought was that it would be an electioneering tactic, but considering the meeting and what has happened since, I have reason to believe it's serious," says one of the sources consulted, linked to one of the four groups that were part of the supporters' section. As has happened so often with issues related to the EDA (Enterprise Supporters' Zone), almost everyone prefers to speak anonymously. "We saw an opportunity for dialogue and we don't want to ruin anything," explains another of those consulted. Almogàvers, Nostra Enseña, Supporters Barça, and Front 532 are the four groups involved. After being excluded from Camp Nou, they now believe they could return before the end of the season, once they receive the 1c license and the Supporters' Zone, currently located in the lower part of the south goal, is authorized to operate.

The uncomfortable chants of "Barça yes, Laporta no"

At the club, too, there is a cautious tone, and the organization, through its official channels, prefers not to make any statements. But, albeit quietly, it is acknowledged in the offices that the proximity of the elections has had an influence. The chants of "Barça yes, Laporta no" were becoming uncomfortable in the VIP box. Furthermore, the groups were not at all pleased that Elena Fort, the institutional vice-president, admitted in a meeting with members that the EDA (Environmental Defense Agency) would have been closed at all costs, regardless of the fines, and This would confirm what the ARA had already published.Fort was not present at the meeting, which was also attended by no Barcelona directors. The club delegated the negotiations to Enric Bosch, a member of the social department. But the key initiative at the meeting came from the invisible hand that controls everything at Barça: Alejandro Echevarría, Fort's former brother-in-law and executive board member. de facto Laporta's departure from Barça. "The meeting took place in a very positive atmosphere, characterized by respect and a willingness to reach an understanding, which allowed us to share perspectives and lay the groundwork for jointly building a supporters' section representative of all Barça fans," Barça said the following day in a statement.

There was nervousness within the board after learning that the four groups from the former EDA had started a petition demanding the reopening of the space. Barça's proposal, Gol 1957, was an attempt to allocate the thousand seats to young people on the waiting list for Camp Nou season tickets. They had to move forward. through an external companyAlthough the idea never quite took hold. Tired of waiting, and seeing that the requirements to be part of this newly created space excluded them, the groups had organized an event at the College of Journalists to put pressure on them, as reported SportFaced with the threat of a very large number of signatures, the club took action by calling a meeting to try to calm things down. In the end, the meeting never took place.

But a doubt still lingered. Was the proposal truly firm, or simply an electioneering tactic? Both the tone of the meeting and the subsequent reactions inspire optimism. In fact, the groups have already sent an internal questionnaire to their members to sign up for the new EDA if it ultimately reopens.

The €21,000 fine will be worthless.

And the fines? "The message was: let's forget what's happened so far and start from scratch," one of the attendees points out. It wasn't explicitly discussed at the meeting, but with this message everyone understood that they would turn the page and forgive the groups' debt. And that the groups, that They had threatened to take the case to court.They will also take a step back. So far, only one meeting has been held, and the intention of all parties involved is to do more, but "discreetly." The groups want to return to their places without restrictions. Barça, despite suggesting that some of them—like Supporters Barça—should be excluded, is willing to admit them all as long as very clear limits are set regarding certain offensive chants or insults. What won't change is that the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) will have the final say on who can access the stadium and who cannot. Carles Ordiales, the president of Seguimiento FCB, was not at the negotiating table. This group, which came very close to running in the 2015 elections, had requested from day one a designated supporters' area and a travel program subsidized by Barça for away games. Two things that Laporta's board has cut. Today, Seguimiento FCB is part of Nosotros, Víctor Font's presidential candidacy. Skeptical, Ordiales is certain it's "an electioneering tactic" by the board. Time will tell if he's right or wrong.