Joan Laporta tightened his grip on Barcelona on Sunday night as club members delivered a crushing mandate. The 63-year-old lawyer swept past Victor Font with 68 per cent of the vote and secured the presidency of the Catalan giants until 2031.
Barcelona’s election replayed a familiar script. Laporta already defeated Font in 2021, and the latest vote confirmed the membership still trusts the same charismatic figure to steer the club through turbulent financial waters.
The numbers told the story brutally. Forty-two per cent of eligible members cast ballots, producing 48,480 votes. Laporta collected 36,117 of them, leaving Font stranded on 29.52 per cent.
Font quickly conceded defeat but kept the tone respectful. He admitted “we feel disappointed” yet still congratulated Laporta, a line that acknowledged reality rather than protest.
The result strengthens Laporta’s political hold on the Camp Nou boardroom.
His reputation still draws strength from an earlier golden era. Laporta ruled Barcelona between 2003 and 2010 and oversaw the club’s most glamorous football dynasty, a period that peaked when Pep Guardiola’s side conquered Europe and completed a historic treble in 2009.
That history still carries serious weight among members.
Laporta returned to power in 2021 promising to keep Lionel Messi in Barcelona. The promise collapsed quickly as the club’s finances forced Messi to leave, a departure that still stings inside the Camp Nou stands.
Former manager Xavi Hernández later sharpened the debate. He claimed Messi’s return route “had been prepared,” a comment that implied Laporta blocked the move before the Argentine eventually joined Inter Miami.
Those accusations could have poisoned the ballot box. Instead, the membership shrugged them aside.
Laporta’s campaign focused less on nostalgia and more on stability. He pitched continuity, economic recovery and a squad capable of challenging again across Spain and Europe. Members clearly bought the pitch.
The victory now hands Laporta another long runway to reshape Barcelona’s sporting project. Financial repairs, squad balance and managerial stability sit at the top of his in-tray.
And the football world knows exactly what usually follows when Laporta controls the Camp Nou boardroom.
