Joan Laporta: the privileges of a president in the pre-campaign period

BarcelonaThe praise from Hansi Flick to Joan Laporta They shook up Barça's pre-election campaign. The German coach not only spoke positively about the current president, but also implied that he was so comfortable working with the current management that nothing needed changing. While Laporta smiled knowingly, the opposition frowned, aware that the president had gained an ally. And not just anyone: a coach who has earned the fans' respect. One side signed him, the other thanks him.

Everyone, to a greater or lesser extent, understood Flick's words in the context of the elections. Everyone in the Barça offices is thinking the same thing. The problem is that when the current club management is asked directly, they act as if nothing is amiss. For the moment, no date has been set for the elections, which, according to the statutes, must be held between March 15th and June 15th. In any case, the sources consulted believe it will be between the end of March and mid-April, and that the final date will be decided at the end of January, after the Spanish Super Cup and the Champions League group stage.

Changes at Barça with the elections in mind

Just like in 2021, when Laporta was the favorite, the lawyer is again highly likely to win. The difference is that now he's the one in charge, with all the privileges that entails, since when he speaks, it's in his capacity as president. It's no coincidence that many things have changed since the summer, starting with the communications director.

Today, Laporta has a greater media presence, is seen more often at the Palau Blaugrana – where the basketball team has turned things around with the signing of Xavi Pascual – and is connecting more with the fans by participating in a series of talks and meetings that were rare during his early years in office. One of these, in Sant Cugat, followed a traveling board meeting, which was heavily criticized by the opposition, who accused Laporta of using club funds for his campaign. The response from Barcelona was that the president "wasn't campaigning, but rather understanding the concerns of the fanbase in order to govern Barça better."

The president's appearances are not random. "He shouldn't speak all the time, nor should he speak every day. He has to appear at specific moments and, if possible, to deliver good news," points out one of the sources consulted, who cites two key moments regarding the reopening of Camp Nou as examples. At the end of September, when a visit was made with journalists, the club knew that the City Council still wouldn't grant permission to return to the stadium, so the subsequent press conference was led by Vice President Elena Fort and the Director of Operations, Joan Sentelles. Conversely, at the open training session in November, the press conference was planned, but it wasn't known who would give it, the president or the vice president. Since everything went smoothly, Laporta appeared, with no limit on questions, and answered everything for half an hour.

Barça denies using club money to finance Laporta's election campaign

Somos un Clam, the opposition platform whose public face is Joan Camprubí Montal, went further and denounced that the club was calling members, "pressuring and influencing their vote." Barça responded with a statement denying the allegations, saying that "no election campaign was being conducted" and that under no circumstances "was any opinion poll being carried out among this group of club members, either internally or externally." However, as ARA has been able to verify, some surveys were indeed conducted among members to ask about aspects of the club. One of these, carried out on December 11 via email, asked about the Fan Services Office (OAB), ending with a question about "the overall level of satisfaction with the club."

Víctor Font, who came in second in the 2021 elections, has already confirmed his pre-candidacy. Also in the running is Xavier Vilajoana, former board member and pre-candidate in 2021. The other contender is Marc Ciria. All three have been working tirelessly for weeks, meeting with members and trying to win over supporters' clubs to garner support. A whole series of events, of varying scale, which they must pay for out of their own pockets. Laporta, for now, is avoiding this step until the elections are officially called.

Furthermore, the opposition is finding it difficult to secure media coverage at a Barça club that plays every three days and where, lately, the ball seems to be going in. They also know that Barça members are historically conservative: since the introduction of universal suffrage elections, no president has ever lost their bid for reelection. Changes have only occurred (Gaspart in 2000, Laporta in 2003, Rosell in 2010, and Laporta again in 2021) when the previous president did not run for reelection.

It is because of all these factors that, in general, there is an optimistic atmosphere within the board of directors. But they prefer not to talk about the internal elections so as not to fuel the debate. The ultimate privilege involves managing the electoral calendar, which they want to keep a state secret until the time comes to announce it. Between the announcement of the elections and the vote itself, 35 to 40 days pass, and there are only seven business days to collect the more than 2,500 signatures required to become a candidate. The opposition insists that "it's a game on," but Laporta and his team already have the cava in the fridge.