Joan Laporta took his pre-election tour to Sitges this weekend, gathering over 200 club members at the Hotel Port Sitges Resort. He presented his candidacy under the slogan “We Defend Barça,” pitching continuity and stability. The event had a symbolic moment: Laporta received a replica of his own commemorative tile, soon to be installed in the Passatge Johan Cruyff alongside other luminares such as Johan Cruyff and Eusebio Sacristán. Alejandro Sacristán, Eusebio’s son, handed over the tile.
Speaking to the crowd, Laporta didn’t hold back. “The club is objectively and indisputably better than five years ago,” he said. He highlighted the turnaround as the result of relentless work, courageous decisions, and a team that has consistently placed “the crest above any other interest.” According to him, Barça has pulled back from the brink financially, regained institutional credibility, and returned to the global spotlight.
The former president also sent a pointed message to his rivals: “The club must not fall into inexperienced hands.” Projects like the new Spotify Camp Nou were front and center. He also stressed defending the club’s essence, including democracy, freedom, and Catalan culture.
Outside Laporta’s camp, the opposition is scattered. Víctor Font, Marc Ciria, and Xavier Vilajoana have struggled to coordinate, leaving Laporta in a comfortable position. Som un Clam, a grassroots Barcelona movement, has released polling which shows roughly a third of members back Laporta, a third are critical, and the remainder are somewhere in between. Efforts to unify the challengers have stalled, and no joint candidate has emerged.
Font, meanwhile, keeps pushing his angle of modernization. “There are two types of barcelonismo: the ‘personalist’ model and the alternative model many members have in mind,” he said during a recent event.
Font has accused Laporta on running purely on his larger-than-life personality, which he considers hollow.
“All the precandidates, except the former president Laporta, are betting on professionalizing and modernizing the club. It makes perfect sense for us to come together.”
Laporta is widely seen as the favorite to win the presidency again. If his opponents slice up the pie among the opposition, it will be even easier for him to win.