Laporta reflects on his term ahead of Barcelona presidential elections: ‘We had to act boldly and quickly’

Earlier today, FC Barcelona announced the start of their electoral process for the presidential elections set to take place on 15 March.

What it also meant is that Joan Laporta has now resigned from the presidency as he gets set to contest in the elections to return to the post next month.

On the eve of the resignation, the 63-year-old sat down with the club media for an extensive interview, during which he took stock of his presidential tenure and highlighted his motivations for the upcoming elections.

Looking back

Kicking things off, Laporta gave a detailed assessment of his most recent tenure as Barcelona president and how things unfolded over the past five years, saying:

“The overall assessment is positive. We’ve worked collectively to bring joy back to the Barça faithful. The institution is strong, and the team is captivating. We’ve returned to the Spotify Camp Nou. It’s an environment that embodies what Barça is today.

“The Spotify Camp Nou is one of the best decisions we’ve made, and now it’s time to finish it. The third tier is still missing. It shows that the club is alive and active. The fans have returned and are enjoying themselves.

“We are a multi-sport club with 48 European Cups. We are experiencing a very sweet moment in our history. The sporting structure is very solid and has earned the respect of the Barça fans.”

On being asked the biggest challenge he faced during this tenure, Laporta highlighted the financial situation of the club that they had inherited from the previous board, saying:

“It has been about reversing the economic legacy we inherited. To recover, we had to provide guarantees of viability, such as the financial levers, and now it’s time to consolidate the economic recovery.”

Spotify Camp Nou renovation was a massive undertaking by Laporta’s board. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

The resigning president also noted how renovating the Spotify Camp Nou was a challenging task, saying:

“The Spotify Camp Nou project has been another challenge. Implementing it has been difficult. We encountered unforeseen problems and had to move to Montjuïc. The return has also been complex.

“These were difficult decisions, and we made them. We can say that we are overcoming the difficulties.”

The highlights

On being asked to name the decision he was most proud of, Laporta said: “To recover our economic situation and restore order and institutional prestige, to return to the Camp Nou and to have La Masia as a cornerstone.

“On the sporting side, signing Hansi Flick and betting on homegrown talent alongside others from abroad is a formula that has worked for us. As has the work of Deco and the partnership he forms with Flick.

“It’s not about making money here, but about winning titles, although we do need to make money to have a competitive team.”

Laporta then talked about the challenges that are pending, that he intends to complete if he returns as president again, saying:

“We need to consolidate the economic recovery. We have to finish Espai Barça and move into the final stages of the Spotify Camp Nou project. We need to consolidate our unique governance model and achieve budgetary stability for the various sections.

“I’m referring to basketball, to make it more competitive. With the addition of Xavi Pascual, it’s on the right track.”

On Barcelona’s economic situation

Laporta went into detail about the economic situation Barcelona were in when he returned as president, and their recovery over the past few years, explaining:

“We faced an extremely difficult situation. There was an economic, sporting, and institutional crisis. We had to renegotiate the debt, improve revenue, and activate various levers. We’ve had two years of positive sporting results.

“We have record sponsorships thanks to Nike and other agreements, also a result of the international growth of e-commerce.”

Laporta highlighted Deco’s contributions in improving Barça’s economic situation. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Highlighting Deco’s work in helping reduce the wage bill, he added: “The wage bill has been reduced from 98% to 54% of ordinary income. This is fundamentally thanks to Deco’s work.

“We are meeting the standards recommended by UEFA and haven’t lost competitive edge. The team has been rejuvenated and has a higher market value. This is a merit I attribute primarily to Deco.

“The good results are not due to a miracle or divine intervention, but rather the fruit of hard work, courageous decisions, and the support of our members, who have understood our decisions and maintained their trust and stability.”

The legacy

The 63-year-old once again highlighted the tricky situations that the club had to navigate, including the negotiations with Nike and Spotify over the sponsorship extension, saying:

“We had to act boldly and quickly to avoid collapse, with a clear vision. Renegotiating the debt, reorganizing the wage bill, activating the levers to restructure the debt.

“Another bold decision was a new sports apparel contract (Nike), as well as Spotify, which perhaps offered less money than other offers that we didn’t believe were the best fit for the club’s identity.

“We’ve kept players who are giving us moments of glory, players with potential who we saw would achieve worldwide recognition, without succumbing to the temptations of other clubs that wanted some of them with a bright future.”

Standing by all the decisions he made, Laporta added: “All the decisions were made to defend Barça. I don’t regret anything. Some decisions I regretted, but above all else comes Barça.

“In such a difficult situation, the mistake would have been not to make any decisions. The decisions I regretted most were those that affected people: letting go of a coach, not renewing a contract of a player. But it’s for the good of Barça.”

Laporta also highlighted the improved relations between the club and La Liga as well as the RFEF, after having had some problems in the past.

“There has been some controversy with La Liga regarding the interpretation of the rules, but we have returned to normal, and Barça, understanding La Liga’s needs, has helped. There is dialogue,” he said.

“Things are being explained to us more clearly each time. We have a very good relationship with the Spanish Federation. It’s fluid and constant.”

Finally, shedding light on his motivation heading into the new elections, Laporta said:

“I’m facing the elections with a strong spirit and a desire to explain the work we’ve done and how we’ll complete it if we win. There’s a strong desire to defend Barça because we love it, and that means doing it against all odds.

“I like the elections because I have more contact with the Barça fans. There’s so much left to do, and I want to explain it.”