Joan Laporta is staying put at Barcelona. The club's members have voted him in for another five years as president, giving him a massive vote of confidence despite some serious financial questions hanging over the club.
The results weren't even close. Laporta crushed his only rival, Victor Font, taking home 68% of the votes. Font conceded defeat early, congratulating Laporta on what he called an "unquestionable victory."
More than 48,000 of Barcelona's 114,000 members turned out to vote at Camp Nou and four other locations across Catalonia and Andorra. That's a pretty impressive turnout for a club election.
From Glory Days to Financial Crisis
Laporta's first stint as president from 2003 to 2010 was legendary. Those were the glory years with Pep Guardiola as coach and a young Lionel Messi tearing up defenses across Europe. Barcelona was the best team on the planet.
He returned in 2021 to find the club in serious trouble. The previous president, Josep Bartomeu, had spent wildly on players, and COVID-19 had hammered the finances. Laporta made the painful decision that Barcelona couldn't afford to keep Messi, who left for Paris Saint-Germain.
To keep the club afloat, Laporta sold off 25% of Barcelona's La Liga TV rights for the next 25 years. It was a controversial move that traded future income for immediate survival.
The Debt Question Everyone's Asking
Here's the tricky part. The club's debt has actually grown under Laporta's watch, jumping from 1.3 billion euros to over 2 billion euros. That's roughly $2.3 billion, and it's a number that Font's campaign hammered hard.
Font tried to paint Laporta as reckless with Barcelona's future. But clearly, most members weren't buying it. Laporta argued he'd reduced player wages and increased revenues. The debt increase, he says, is partly due to the massive Camp Nou renovation that will eventually bring in more money.
What really helped Laporta was what's happening on the pitch. Hansi Flick's team is playing brilliant football, sitting top of La Liga after thrashing Sevilla 5-2 on election day. And then there's Lamine Yamal, the teenage sensation who's got everyone dreaming of another golden era.
For anyone betting on Barcelona this season, the stability of keeping Laporta could be a positive factor. The team knows their president, the financial restructuring continues, and the focus remains on football. With Flick's side flying high in La Liga, that continuity might just help them push for the title.
Barcelona's elections feel like real political campaigns, complete with intense media coverage and passionate debates across Catalonia. Even Flick and players from the men's, women's, basketball, and handball teams showed up to vote at Camp Nou.
At 63, Laporta now has five more years to finish what he started: saving Barcelona from financial ruin while keeping them competitive at the highest level. It's a massive job, but Barcelona's members clearly believe he's the man for it.
