Overview
- More than 100,000 club members are called to vote in person on Sunday across Barcelona, other Catalan sites and Andorra to choose the president and executive board.
- The two-way race pits incumbent Joan Laporta’s continuity platform against Víctor Font’s reform agenda after other hopefuls fell short of support.
- A televised showdown featured clashes over finances, governance and sporting control, with sharp exchanges on Deco’s role and a rebuke referencing ties to a Franco-era foundation.
- Former coach Xavi Hernández alleged Laporta blocked Lionel Messi’s 2023 return, a claim Laporta rejected while saying LaLiga had not approved a deal.
- Laporta accused agent Iván de la Peña of a “betrayal” in youth midfielder Dro Fernández’s January move to PSG and dismissed Font’s Erling Haaland talk as false, citing the player’s agent’s denial of any Barcelona negotiations.