Welcome to Laportaland
The meme of Joan Laporta dancing has already become part of popular culture. His euphoria is contagious: everything is excitement, optimism, chants borrowed from the supporters' section, macaroni and cava foam swirling at Luz de Gas. Who wouldn't want life to be like this every day? Who's the sourpuss who would choose not to have a good time? Pure hedonism, topped off with a 7-2 victory that catapulted them into the Champions League quarterfinals. "The best years of our lives" are here, and the Barcelona fans—or the 42% who voted—have overwhelmingly chosen this magnetic, fun, charismatic, and approachable man to continue pulling the club out of the hole dug by Josep Maria Bartomeu. This blank check confirms that Barça and Laporta are one and the same. "I am the state," said the absolutist French king Louis XIV. Exactly.
The member closes his eyes in a pleasant universe that could be called Laportaland. The feeling of belonging is very tempting, and the motto "Against all odds and against everyone" is fantastic for gathering followers: only someone who wasn't a Barça fan wouldn't want to defend their shirt against attacks from others. The only problem with that slogan that I would endorse Braveheart It's also used to point out shield-brothers who think differently. I'm not just talking about the eternal. loser Víctor Font—who should get himself checked out—but rather all the different perspectives that might exist within a club that prides itself on being so democratic, unique, and exemplary compared to others. The "we are not sectarian" mantra that Laporta has been preaching to justify the key role of Francoist sympathizer Alejandro Echevarría in his administration could also be applied to extend a hand to those who have a different vision for the club.
Laporta faces a term full of challenges to definitively establish himself as the most influential president in Barça's history. It's not just a matter of ego, but of responsibility. In recent years, many controversial moves, such as the falling out with Messi and the shady dealings, have been justified with the refrain of the inherited legacy. Now that, as he says, he's saved the club, it won't be enough: the moment of truth has arrived, and it's urgent to strengthen the men's first team to return to the elite by winning Champions Leagues (plural), steadily reduce the debt, successfully complete the Camp Nou renovation, and prove that the Palau Blaugrana hasn't fallen into disrepair. All of this will be scrutinized—we hope—by that stale, sensationalist press that so detests the minions uncritical. "We're not sectarian," right?