Joan Laporta re-elected as Barcelona president with overwhelming victory

Joan Laporta has been re-elected as FC Barcelona president for the next five-year term after decisively defeating rival Victor Font in the election held on Sunday.

The overwhelming victory of Joan Laporta

Laporta secured a convincing win by receiving 32,934 votes out of a total of 48,480 ballots cast by club members (socios). Meanwhile, Font received only 14,385 votes, with 984 blank votes and 177 invalid votes.

"First of all, I want to express my gratitude to the wonderful club we have," Laporta stated after his victory was confirmed amid fans chanting "president." "It is fantastic that members can still choose their representative. This passion is precious; it makes the club special. Therefore, thank you to Barça and all the members who voted today – a testament to democratic spirit."

According to Barcelona's announcement, the total number of votes corresponds to a participation rate of 42.34% among the 114,504 eligible voting members. Many former and current presidents, coaches, and players of the club cast their votes at Spotify Camp Nou stadium, including coach Hansi Flick and members of the men's first team.

"This result is very clear and gives us great strength – a strength that may make us unstoppable," Laporta added. "We will continue to defend Barcelona against everything and everyone. The coming years will be exciting; they will be the best period for us."

The election coincided with Barcelona's 5-2 victory over Sevilla FC in La Liga. After the match, coach Flick and several players such as Raphinha, Pedri, and Dani Olmo proceeded to vote. "I won't say whom I voted for because it's confidential," Flick shared in a press conference before voting. "This is a special day. I watched the election on TV in the stadium office and found it very interesting. I think everyone is happy; it's a great day."

Former Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández also attended to vote – just days after calling Laporta a "liar" regarding Lionel Messi's inability to return to the club in 2023. Additionally, former midfielder Sergio Busquets (who played for Inter Miami CF) participated in the election.

This outcome repeats the scenario of 2021, when Laporta also convincingly defeated Font to succeed Josep Maria Bartomeu. That marked the beginning of Laporta's second term at Barcelona. He previously served as president from 2003 to 2010, a period when the club appointed coach Pep Guardiola and achieved the historic treble in 2009, before returning to power after 11 years.

Since his return, Barcelona has won two La Liga titles, while the club's women's team has claimed the Champions League three times. However, the men's team's performance under Flick formed a crucial foundation for Laporta's election campaign.

Last season, Flick helped Barcelona secure a domestic treble comprising La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Supercopa de España, and also led the team to the UEFA Champions League semifinals for the first time since 2019. This season, they continue to maintain competitive positions in both La Liga and the Champions League.

During this period, Laporta also advanced the Spotify Camp Nou renovation project. The first two tiers of the stadium after upgrades were fully operational in the match against Sevilla, increasing capacity to over 60,000 seats while construction of the third tier continues.

On Font's side, he had hoped to persuade members to support him by arguing that the club's financial situation had not truly improved under Laporta (despite Laporta's contrary claims), the return to Spotify Camp Nou was repeatedly delayed, and the leadership's handling of Messi's departure.