Amid swirling controversy over Barcelona’s finances, club president Joan Laporta came out swinging in defense of his board’s management during the annual general meeting on Saturday. The fiery leader hit out at critics who have questioned the drastic measures taken to improve Barça’s economic situation, measures that have included selling off club assets and slashing the wage bill.
Members Approve Accounts Despite €91m Loss
In what will be seen as a victory for Laporta, club members present at the meeting voted 452 to 156 in favor of approving the board’s accounts for the 2023-24 season. This came despite the club posting an overall net loss of €91 million ($98.9m), largely attributed to issues with investments in the “Barça Vision” subsidiary.
Some opponents had urged members to reject the accounts in protest of Laporta’s leadership. But in an impassioned speech before the vote, the 60-year-old insisted that the club is on a path to financial recovery thanks to the tough decisions made by his board.
“We haven’t reached the end of the road, but it’s true that we’re better off in a financial and sporting sense than in 2021,” Laporta declared. “We’re putting the finances back on a sound footing in as little time as possible. We’re fixing the finances without the members having to put their hands in their pockets.”
– Joan Laporta, Barcelona president
Laporta: “We’re Curing The Bleeding”
Laporta pointed to rising income and a reduced wage bill as signs of progress. “We’ve cured the wound that had been bleeding since 2017,” he said, referencing the club’s spiraling debt in recent years. “Our income has risen, at last … we’re better off, and there are clear indications of that.”
When Laporta’s board took over in March 2021, the club’s salary-to-income ratio was at an unsustainable 98%. “It was unsustainable. We’ve also trusted in homegrown players. We only invested [this summer] in Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor. [Olmo] cost €47m.”
Defiant Laporta Attacks “Envious” Critics
Never one to shy away from confrontation, Laporta went on the offensive against Barça’s detractors. Without naming names, he suggested that the club’s resurgence under his leadership has stoked the ire and envy of those who want to see the Blaugrana fail.
“Our anthem says it. We fight against everything and everyone,” Laporta said fiercely. “We fight against those who keep bringing up the Negreira case, which we’re winning in court. Whenever things are going well, out they come again. There are people who don’t want us to win, it makes them angry. They want to destroy us.”
– Joan Laporta
The Negreira case Laporta referred to involves an ongoing investigation into payments Barcelona made to Spain’s former refereeing vice-president, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira. But the president insists the club is “winning in court” on that front.
Culé Optimism: On The Pitch & On The Books
Barcelona currently sit atop the La Liga table under new manager Hansi Flick, who Laporta appointed last summer. And despite the financial obstacles, the president clearly believes his club is moving in the right direction both on and off the pitch.
In many ways, the vote to approve the 2023-24 accounts served as a referendum on Laporta’s leadership through turbulent times. Members have spoken, placing their trust in the president’s vision for a Barça resurgence.
But with the “Barça Vision” investment issues, the Negreira scandal, and a staggering debt still looming, Laporta knows this is just one battle won. The war for Barcelona’s financial and sporting future wages on. For now though, Laporta stands tall, bloodied but unbowed, ready to fight “against everything and everyone” for the club he loves.
A Defiant Laporta Marches On
So while the clouds of controversy still swirl over the Camp Nou, Laporta emerges from this AGM with a mandate to continue steering the ship through choppy waters. His detractors may be circling, but the wily club chief seems energized by the battles ahead.
As always with Laporta’s Barça, expect more drama, more defiance, and more determination to return this sleeping giant to glory, no matter the cost or controversy. The Laporta way takes no prisoners.
On the immediate horizon lies a date with Sevilla, an on-field foe Laporta will hope new star signing Dani Olmo can help dispatch. Then it’s back to the boardroom and courtroom, to wage the financial and political battles that will define this president’s legacy.
One thing is certain: with Laporta at the helm, it’s never dull. Barcelona’s vocal chief is bloodied but unbowed, down but not out. This is his Barça. And he’ll fight “everything and everyone” to make it victorious again.
