Barcelona's presidential election: Everything you need to know
PETE JENSON: Barcelona’s 110,000 unhappy members pick a new president on Sunday. The favourite insists he’s the key to Messi staying… while his closest challenger wants to give Xavi the keys to the kingdom. Here’s EVERYTHING you need to know
- Barcelona will hold an election to decide the club’s next president on Sunday
- Joan Laporta, Victor Font and Toni Freixa are still in the running for the position
- Up to 110,290 members will vote on the man to replace Josep Maria Bartomeu
- Laporta is the strong favourite and is confident he can keep hold of Lionel Messi
- Font wants to bring back Xavi, with Ronald Koeman’s future still uncertain
- There are unlikely to be any big-name signings amid an ongoing financial crisis
After the disastrous end to Josep Maria Bartomeu’s reign, Barcelona fans finally get to pick their new president on Sunday.
But what are the candidates promising? Where will the vote be won and lost? Who is likely to come out on top? And will the winner need a lie-down in a dark room when his victory is announced?
Here, Sportsmail looks at the biggest club election in football.
Joan Laporta, Victor Font and Toni Freixa (L-R) are in the running to be Barcelona president
They say this is the biggest club election in the game. Is that fair?
Barcelona say they have 110,290 members eligible to vote and that 22,811 of those have taken up the opportunity of voting by post.
That high uptake was expected with the pandemic and with 3,978 voters living outside the region of Catalonia, and a further 3,553 outside of Spain.
The remaining 87,479 can vote in person this Sunday at one of many polling booths set up around the region.
Proposals for members to be allowed to vote electronically were eventually knocked back.
Are there any special measures because of the pandemic?
Voting will take place from nine o’clock in the morning to 9pm and there will be advisory time-slots depending on age to avoid heavy concentrations of people at any one time.
There are still travel restrictions in place forbidding movement between municipalities for reasons other than work, so in the rare cases where there is no polling booth in a member’s neighbourhood and they have not voted by post, they will miss out.
Barcelona members will finally get their say on the running of the club in Sunday’s election
Who are the three candidates?
Joan Laporta: The favourite, who won two Champions Leagues and four leagues when president between 2003 and 2010.
Victor Font: The co-founder of a corporate finance multinational who has been a long-time aspirant.
Toni Freixa: The closest there is to a ‘continuity candidate’ and yes, there is not a lot of call for ‘continuity’ at the moment.
The big issue: Lionel Messi’s future
Laporta said this week that Messi will only stay if he wins the election.
‘I have a very good relationship with him,’ he said.
‘I’m convinced my offer will please him. And I’m also convinced that if either of the other two candidates win Messi will not stay.’
The future of Lionel Messi remains a major issue, with Laporta vowing to keep the superstar
So, is that true?
If Freixa wins, which is almost impossible, Messi would leave.
A victory for Font could also leave him more out than in. Font has said he wants to offer Messi a ‘contract for life’ but there is not the same desire to build the immediate future around Messi that there is with Laporta.
The former president’s main sell is that he is experienced and he’ll keep Messi.
Which result would bring Xavi back soonest?
Xavi will be back one day regardless of who wins.
Font originally appeared to be backing Xavi as coach, but he now sees him more as a general manager who could become head coach at some point.
He was left slightly embarrassed by Xavi’s silence on the matter, with Barcelona’s former captain playing a clever game (as he always did).
Xavi does not want to publicly back Font because if Laporta wins he will also want to return and work with him. When he returns will depend on more than just who wins.
He’s hugely ambitious and totally convinced of his ability to be a success but he is also smart enough to want the time to be right. He might want to wait if Ronald Koeman finishes the season strongly.
Barcelona legend Xavi is keen on a return to Spain, potentially as the club’s general manager
And what will the election result mean for Koeman?
He’ll probably stay under Laporta, who has a history of sticking with a coach once he has decided he is right for the club – he did it with both Frank Rijkaard and Pep Guardiola despite difficult moments.
There is absolutely no truth in the suggestion that emerged recently that he wants Mikel Arteta.
He has defended Koeman throughout his campaign and Laporta winning is likely to be good news for the Dutchman.
Font, meanwhile seems more open to making a change of coach but also recognises that Koeman should stay if he finishes the season well.
Xavi coming in as General Manager and Koeman operating as coach appears to be his plan. It’s debatable how workable that might be.
Ronald Koeman is likely to remain as manager – as long as Barcelona finish the season strongly
Who will be the big signings?
Eric Garcia will come in from Manchester City on a free transfer in the summer regardless of who wins.
Font and Laporta have said they are not naming names out of respect for the current players – with this being a mid-season election.
Freixa has indicated that Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are possible, but he could promise everyone on the next Ballon d’Or shortlist – he’s not going to win.
Manchester City defender Eric Garcia will return to Barcelona on a free transfer this summer
So a marque, mega-acquisition to make football’s collective jaw drop is probably not going to happen?
It’s unlikely. Laporta has relatively good relationship with Haaland’s agent, Mino Raiola, that dates back to the arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2009.
Whether that’s enough to give Barcelona in their current state any chance of signing the Dortmund forward this summer might be another matter.
Laporta might be able ensure the 20-year-old at least holds off on a move to the Premier League.
Font is more about building from the youth system upwards, hence the idea of giving Xavi the keys to the kingdom and bringing Jordi Cruyff in as a director of football.
However, Cruyff is another who has not publicly tied his colours to Font’s mast yet. He also admitted, were his father Johan still alive, he would vote for Laporta.
Barca cannot afford the likes of Erling Haaland this summer as they battle a financial crisis
Whoever wins, Barcelona need to sell players in order to buy. And even if they sellt, that is still some financial black hole the new president inherits. How do the candidates plan to address the situation?
Sales will be important, although all candidates have ruled out selling the exciting youngsters Pedri and Ansu Fati.
In terms of raising money, Laporta has spoken about the possibility of a bonds scheme. This would either be Barcelona fans investing in their club out of a sense of loyalty, or non-members purchasing bonds repayable with interest within the president’s five-year term.
Font has argued that this borders on breaking the members-ownership model and therefore threatens the club’s non-commercial sports association status and the beneficial tax status that goes with it.
A bond is not a share, however, so this might be a way of bringing private money to the club, without compromising the model, but the idea would need to be passed by the National Securities Market Commission first.
Both Font and Laporta also want to focus on the Nou Camp redevelopment.
Laporta, who is the favourite to win, has proposed a bonds scheme to raise much-needed cash
What a time to be renovating the stadium…
The £691million (€800m) Espai Barca project includes a completely redeveloped Nou Camp, a new basketball arena and an adjacent commercial complex.
This project is costly but is seen as essential for the long term financial health of the club. But both Laporta and Font have said they want to look at the repayment plan agreed by Bartomeu with Goldman Sachs and not yet ratified by the club members.
The idea of borrowing £704m (€815m) to then pay back £1.08billion (€1.250bn) in 20 years has been called into question. And the degree to which repayments will be tied to profits the club make from commercial partners will also be reviewed.
The project could be downscaled but it could also be upscaled in some areas because Laporta wants to ensure the basketball arena is big enough to host Euro League final-four matches.
Laporta has also spoken about considering the possibility of taking Barcelona to the Olympic Stadium at Montjuic for a couple of seasons so work can be carried out uninterrupted, with the idea of completing the ‘Nou Camp Nou’ before Barcelona’s 125th year in 2024.
The Nou Camp renovation would see the stadium improved and a new basketball arena built
So, what is the feeling with Election Day looming?
Laporta remains the man to beat. Many members feel this is a time for people with experience and clout.
‘While you were making PowerPoint presentations, we were winning Champions Leagues’ he told Font in what was the penultimate electoral debate on Tuesday.
The last debate is scheduled for Friday on Catalonia’s public television channel TV3. Then on Sunday the people decide.
It’s a two-horse race: Font wants to be a leader who delegates decision making, who leans heavily on Xavi, and builds a modern club that does not live off the past.
Laporta wants to lead from the front, persuading Messi to stay, backing Koeman and sees nothing wrong with looking back if it’s to inspire future success.
Whoever wins, they will have to sit down with the banks and other financial institutions first and buy some time to turn the club around.
Both men know if they are victorious on Sunday, the hard work will have only just begun.
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