Five more years for Joan Laporta, Barcelona's Teflon president

Barcelona’s members have handed Joan Laporta a second consecutive five-year mandate, voting him back into the presidency on Sunday with 68.1 per cent of the 48,480 ballots cast, shrugging off financial turbulence, stadium delays and high-profile feuds that might have sunk a less resilient leader.

The landslide victory over sole challenger Víctor Font came as rain poured through the still-roofless Camp Nou, yet Laporta remained in his seat, jacketless and unshielded, watching Hansi Flick’s side beat Real Oviedo 3-0 to go top of La Liga. The scene, campaign aides admitted privately, was the perfect visual for a president who has built his brand on weathering storms and emerging stronger.

Font had framed the election as a referendum on governance, warning that Laporta’s “financial levers” – the mortgaging of future revenues to fund present-day signings – had swelled the club’s debt beyond the €1.35 billion he inherited in 2021. He also highlighted the €900 million stadium renovation that has already crept toward €1.5 billion, the messy exits of Lionel Messi and coach Xavi Hernández, and sponsorship deals struck with partners ranging from a Congolese government agency to a UAE-based mobile firm.

Laporta countered with a populist slogan, “Defensem el Barça,” portraying every critic as an enemy of the institution. When Xavi gave a late endorsement to Font, claiming Laporta “does not tell the truth” and alleging that Messi’s 2023 return was blocked by the president, Laporta dismissed the coach as “resentful” and pointed to Flick’s immediate impact with largely the same squad.

The president’s talent for turning liabilities into rallying cries was again on display over the Negreira refereeing-payments affair. After accepting that Barça paid €8.4 million to companies linked to the former referees’ chief during his first tenure, Laporta deflected attention by branding Real Madrid “the team of the regime,” instantly shifting the narrative among the club’s socios.

Similarly, Barça’s steadfast support for the moribund European Super League – a stance that isolated the club from UEFA and La Liga – was softened by Laporta’s recent rapprochement with league president Javier Tebas after distancing himself from Madrid counterpart Florentino Pérez.

Sunday’s turnout – 42.34 per cent of eligible voters, the lowest since 1997 – underscored a growing apathy among a membership whose financial contribution has fallen to roughly 15 per cent of annual revenue. With television rights, sponsorships and tourist ticket sales now bankrolling the club, Goldman Sachs and other creditors wield increasing influence, yet Laporta’s pitch that only he can keep those wolves from the door resonated with enough voters.

The immediate task is to balance the books before the summer transfer window. December’s pre-sale of future VIP seat income averted an €80 million loss for 2024-25, but La Liga’s salary cap will demand fresh creativity – and possibly another lever – to register reinforcements. A marquee centre-forward tops Flick’s wish-list, and members accept that more unconventional financing lies ahead.

For now, though, the members have bet that the man who once declared Barça “more than a club” can still keep it theirs. As Laporta left the rain-soaked stadium, he told waiting television crews, “Everything we do is to help Barça.” After five turbulent years, the Teflon president has earned five more to prove it.