The start of the presidential debate between the candidates Joan Laporta and Víctor Font is underway:
Reporter: Mr. Laporta, what do you think of the interview that Xavi gave? He was harsh with you.. Did his style surprise you?
Joan Laporta: “Yes, it did surprise me, and the truth is it hurt me.. When I saw Xavi's statements, I thought of Flick, and I thought about how difficult it is to be president of FC Barcelona, because you have to make tough decisions for the good of the club, like the decision to dismiss Xavi.
But I believe that the facts that happened give me peace of mind, because I did what needed to be done.I saw that we would continue to lose with Xavi, while with a new coach like Flick, we can return to winning.”
“I understand that Xavi might be hurting, because Flick achieved victories with the same players that Xavi was defeated alongside.. I understand his feeling about that.But what pains me is that he allowed himself to be used, and in seeking to harm me, he attacked someone from my inner circle, Alejandro Echevarría, and that bothers me.Echevarría and Yuste were among the staunchest defenders of Xavi's continuation until the moment when defending him was still possible. There is a desire to poison the atmosphere and stir up controversy.”
“ I believe that what happened is also linked to Mr. Victor Font, who stands behind Xavi and is trying to undermine this electoral process.He has no issue with a new member appearing in the club and joining for just one day, then filing a lawsuit the next day filled with false accusations and claims.After that, Mr. Font goes to the media and tries to lend credibility to these lies.This is a method that does not impress me, and I am convinced it does not impress Barcelona fans either.”
Reporter: Thousands of Barcelona fans woke up disappointed after this controversy that happened. What do you think, Mr. Font?
Victor Font: “The truth is that thousands of the club's fans woke up sad. Sad because seeing the club's legends, and not just Xavi in this situation is painful.Xavi did something that reflects his love for the club and his courage when he spoke the truth, a truth that many of those who left the club dare not say or cannot say, because the "you're either with me or against me" culture makes it extremely difficult. And he was quickly responded to by Messi as well.I believe there are thousands of Barcelona fans who feel sadness because of this situation. A Barcelona where some have turned against the others, and a club that's being run away from the truth and in a way based on lies.”
“The thing that everyone knows and is no secret is that the son-in-law of the former president wields influence equal to or perhaps exceeding that of the president himself, even though no one elected him, nor does he hold any executive position, and moreover, his ideological stances have no relation to the founding values of the club.I believe this situation saddens everyone, and for that reason we are so convinced that next Sunday there will be a social majority that will say: ‘let's turn the page, and let's all start working together.’ We have suffered too much from this division between some and others.”
Reporter: How do you respond to what has been said regarding the filed complaint and the accusations leveled against your administration?
Joan Laporta: “ Everything the newspapers are saying about the lawsuit filed by that individual, which is a false complaint filled with lies — aligns perfectly with every point that Font uses to try to tarnish our administration, which has lasted five years. There is one thing that is very clear. The club's fans are satisfied. At this moment, Víctor Font is living in a different reality. In 2021, the club's members chose who would lead Barcelona's future, and that has already been done. Today, Barcelona's fans are happy because, after we were in a situation where the stadium was old and dilapidated, the team wasn't winning, and the club was bankrupt, the situation is different now. Thanks to the trust that the members placed in us and thanks to the institutional stability over these five years, we now have a new stadium, we have a very strong team, and the club has recovered economically.”
“The criticism’s on Alejandro Echevarría? Regarding what was said about Echevarría, he is someone who has my complete trust, especially in matters related to the Spanish League and the Royal Spanish Football Federation.He is a person who works for the stability of the dressing room, because he has an excellent relationship with the team, and this benefits me greatly, as he is also progressing very well, and that's why we see the harmony that exists inside the dressing room.In addition, he is a smart, honest, and brave person, and he has a great ability to solve the problems that arise during the club's management.”
Victor Font: “The clubs current sporting situation?
It's clear that the team and all of us as fans are extremely excited about this group of players coming from the club's academy. This is part of the legacy inherited by the current management, because eighty percent of this team's value was already in place beforehand, and it's not a direct result of this board's management.And of course, there was the successful decision to appoint coach Flick, who made this project work and turn into a reality. We're all excited and happy, but we still need that extra step to reach the goal we must achieve, which is winning the Champions League.”
“ We must also prevent Real Madrid from winning it, because they won two titles during this period while we didn't win any. But if we do things right, we will be able to achieve this step.”
Reporter: Mr. Font says that the current success is largely due to a previous legacy, especially in the women's team, and that the current management is not handling the resources properly. What is your response?
Joan Laporta: “Mr. Font denies the facts. Until now, he was talking about the women's team. Look, in the last five years, the women's team has won three Champions League titles.We also won individual awards, as the last five editions of the Ballon d'Or went to players from Barcelona: Putellas won it twice, and Aitana Bonmatí three times.And that's not all, as our other sports teams have achieved nearly everything. There is also the great emotional bond between these teams and the fans in the stands, and the whole world speaks positively about Barcelona Women, which strengthens the club as an institution.”
“When Mr. Font offers his interpretations, it seems as though all of that happened spontaneously or that it was just an inheritance we received. But the truth is that the inheritance we received was very bad, especially from an economic standpoint, as the club was in a position close to bankruptcy.There was no strong sports team. Today we have a handball team that is world champion, and it has won three Champions League titles over these five years, as well as all the league championships, cups, and Super Cups. And we have a hockey team that competes, a futsal team that competes, and also a basketball team.”
“Yes, we had to cut the basketball team's budget. Why? Because we inherited an extremely difficult economic situation. Therefore, we focused all our efforts on building a competitive first-team for football.And this was achieved thanks to the work done, especially over the last two years under Deco’s leadership since he took over, in addition to the technical staff led by coach Flick on the bench.”
