Joan Laporta has been re-elected as Barcelona president for another five-year term, securing 68% of the vote in Sunday’s election to defeat his only real challenger, Víctor Font, and extend his grip on the club he has now led four times.
More than 48,000 of Barcelona’s 114,000 registered members cast their ballots at Camp Nou and four other polling stations across Catalonia and Andorra.
Font, who ran on a platform of financial reform and structural change, trailed badly throughout the count and conceded before the final tally was confirmed, describing Laporta’s victory as unquestionable and pledging to continue fighting for his vision of the club’s future.
The result was a decisive rejection of Font’s central argument.
His campaign leaned heavily on Barcelona’s debt crisis, which has grown from €1.3 billion to over €2 billion under Laporta’s watch, painting the outgoing president as a reckless manager who had mortgaged the club’s future.
Laporta’s counter-argument, that he had saved Barcelona from a far worse fate and needed another term to finish the job, carried more weight with the membership.
Laporta’s new term.
The timing worked in Laporta’s favour. Hansi Flick’s side beat Sevilla 5-2 on the same day, with the players heading to the polls before the game.
Reports had suggested Flick was considering his future if Font won, so the result also provides continuity on the sporting side at a moment when Barcelona are still alive in the Champions League.
As confirmed by Barcelona.com, Laporta addressed members inside an auditorium at Camp Nou shortly after.
“What happens at FC Barcelona is unique in the world. We are a club that votes, and today the members turned out and cast their ballots. It has been a celebration of democracy and civic spirit,” he said.
He then addressed the result. “This is a resounding result, and it gives us great strength. It makes us unstoppable. No one will stop us. Exciting years lie ahead.“
