Chaos, scandal and anger: Barcelona faces seminal presidential elections

“Many, many, many thousands and thousands of debt for Barcelona, the worst monetary scenario in historical past,” Catalunya Radio journalist Ernest Macià tells CNN.

“On the pitch, we will focus on it, but it surely appears evident that when the Champions League arrives, Barcelona once more commits a public suicide in entrance of thousands and thousands of individuals, receiving so many objectives and making it so troublesome even for gamers like Messi who love the membership and doubtless want to keep at Barcelona in numerous circumstances.

“At this level it is not simple to see Messi right here subsequent yr, though there are a lot of, many alternative variables intervening on this equation. So we are going to see what occurs ultimately as a result of elections will happen this weekend and that is one other variable on this equation, who turns into president.”

The contract would make Messi the best paid athlete in sports activities historical past and the membership mentioned it might take authorized motion towards the newspaper “for any harm that could be induced because of this publication.”

Barcelona’s monetary issues have been exacerbated by the membership’s transfer away from selling gamers from its famed La Masia academy — which has developed the likes of Messi, Pep Guardiola, Andres Iniesta and Xavi — to the primary group, as a substitute selecting to spend huge switch charges and wages on already established stars.

Barcelona has reportedly spent greater than $1 billion on switch charges because the 2013/14 season and lots of consider this transformation is philosophy has eroded the membership’s ‘Greater than a Membership’ mantra, which remains to be painted into the seats of its historic Camp Nou stadium.

Historic elections

Even with Messi, Barcelona’s future seems to be bleak; with out him, nonetheless, issues begin to look dire.

It’s on precisely that premise that one of many presidential candidates is hanging his hat. Joan Laporta, certainly one of three males standing, is the present favourite to win the election and was beforehand president from 2003 till 2010, presiding over one of the profitable period within the membership’s historical past.

Throughout his earlier reign, Barcelona gained 13 main trophies, together with 4 La Liga titles and two Champions Leagues and he can be hoping that nostalgia and banked goodwill is essential to securing one other time period.

“Joan Laporta is, as an instance, nearer to Leo Messi and the gamers as a result of they lived collectively one of the best moments of their tales and their lives,” Macià says.

“Based on the polls now, Joan Laporta is first. There have been debates and something can occur as a result of lots of people have voted by way of mail and it stays to be seen what affect these votes, for the primary time in historical past, can have.”

The opposite candidates are Victor Font and Toni Freixa, who might “break up the votes,” Macia says, one thing that will finally profit Laporta.

Crucially, Font has acquired the backing of former Barcelona captain Carles Puyol and has predicated a few of his presidential marketing campaign on the thought of membership legend Xavi returning to turn into the brand new head coach.

Freixa, conversely, has given his backing to present head coach Ronald Koeman to proceed the job he was given solely final summer time.

The election can be determined by votes from greater than 111,000 membership members — or ‘socis’ in Catalan — most of who’re followers of Barcelona. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, 22,811 members have requested to vote by way of mail, whereas the remaining 87,479 will vote in individual at certainly one of six stations situated within the cities of Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, Tarragona, Tortosa and Andorra.

Macia believes this Sunday’s outcomes are probably the most consequential within the membership’s historical past. It is actually troublesome to assume in any other case.