Barcelona president Joan Laporta has been slammed by his rivals for calling a snap presidential election in mid March, a move branded a cynical ploy to capitalise on the team’s current form before a potential season collapse.
The club confirmed the vote will be held on March 15th, the earliest possible date under the statutes, despite having a window that stretched until mid June. Laporta, seeking re election, has chosen a moment where Barca sit top of La Liga and are poised to reach the Champions League quarter finals.
Rival candidates have blasted the timing as pure opportunism, accusing Laporta of creating unnecessary “noise” during a critical phase of the campaign. “We had already planned that Laporta was going to take advantage of any opportunistic moment to call the elections,” fumed candidate Marc Ciria in an interview with SPORT. “The normal thing was to do it with the season over.”
His main challenger, Victor Font, was even more scathing. “He doesn’t care about holding elections in the middle of a Champions League tie,” Font stated. “It is obvious these elections are called when it suits Laporta. But we were already expecting it. We are prepared.”
The election, scheduled just days after a potential Champions League last 16 second leg, threatens to cast a political shadow over the squad’s run in. Font has also demanded that if the vote clashes with a league match against Sevilla, the game should be made a members only event with minimal ticket prices to encourage turnout.
Laporta’s camp, however, will see the early poll as a masterstroke. With the club riding high after a Supercopa win over Real Madrid and leading the domestic table, his approval is likely at a peak. A delayed vote could have risked a downturn in results souring the mood.
For manager Hansi Flick and his players, it means navigating a tense title race and European knockouts against a backdrop of internal political warfare. The coming weeks at the Camp Nou will be about more than just football, it’s a battle for the club’s soul, and Laporta has fired the starting gun on his own terms.
