The landscape of Barcelona has been officially settled for the next five years following a decisive presidential election on Sunday.
Joan Laporta has emerged victorious, securing a powerful mandate from the club’s membership to continue his project.
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The overwhelming support for the incumbent president has led to praise from all branches of Spanish football, including La Liga chief Javier Tebas, who addressed the results during the presentation of the league’s latest economic report.
Laporta on Laporta’s victory
Tebas was quick to acknowledge the scale of Laporta’s victory, suggesting that the sheer margin of the win leaves little room for debate regarding the will of the socios.
“With the difference in votes that he has won with respect to Victor Font, everything is said. The partners have shown him that they trust his project.
“If we examine the management level, as far as La Liga is concerned, there was an initial Barcelona, and now there is a different one. Barça have chosen continuity. Sportingly, you can ask them for a little more,” he said (h/t SPORT).
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Tebas went on to talk about the club’s financial health, as he issued a direct request to Laporta for his second consecutive term: “That you continue in the line of recent years in compliance with ‘fair play’, is what I ask of you,” he said.
The economic report also shed light on the specific financial manoeuvres Barcelona has used to stabilise its accounts.
Tebas has lauded Laporta for winning the election. (Photo by Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images For Sportel)
One area of scrutiny involved the sale of VIP seats at the new Spotify Camp Nou, which the club had hoped would improve their squad cost limit.
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While there was some confusion earlier in the year, La Liga’s corporate general manager, Javier Gomez, provided full transparency on the figures admitted by auditors.
“The annual accounts are public and clearly specify the amount that has been imputed, which is, if I remember correctly, €71 million.
“It is put in the annual accounts, and that is what the auditor has admitted to impute to them and, obviously, what La Liga imputes to them,” Gomez said.
However, a standout part of the address saw Tebas’ confirmation that the club are on the verge of financial normalcy.
He hinted that the Blaugrana would finally return to the 1:1 spending rule this summer, allowing them to operate without the restrictive penalties that have hampered their recent transfer windows.
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“Elements such as Atletico’s capital increase, Barcelona returning to the 1:1 rule appear… There are elements there. But they are not going to modify the drawing and structure of the clubs’ results. All of that evolves over the years,” he said.
“We believe that investment will be in the same line as it has been so far. Maybe €50 million more… We believe that we will continue to bet on promoting the people who have been trained in the clubs, which are the best in the world.
“We do not expect that figure to change substantially. It will grow, but with logical values. We do not expect a turnaround in the market,” he concluded.
