All eyes on March 15 as FC Barcelona brace for the presidential elections: Can Laporta retain his position?

Joan Laporta aims to be the president of FC Barcelona for a second consecutive term. (Image credits – Heute, Licence Details)

Spanish giants FC Barcelona have decided March 15 to be the day for their next presidential elections this year. Joan Laporta’s official five-year tenure ends later this year, prompting the club to set a flexible date for the elections.

The club has chosen the earliest possible date for the elections in between the season, which has surprised many within the club. Victor Font, Marc Ciria, Xavier Vilajoana, and Joan Camprubi are set to stand against Joan Laporta in the race for presidency.

The candidate who gets 2,321 signatures from club members in the ballot would serve as the president of the Catalan giants. However, the four candidates have criticised Joan Laporta for conducting the elections right before Barça’s potential UCL RO16 clash while La Liga and Copa del Rey are still at stake.

Laporta is set to resign officially later in February before the elections. During this period, a management committee will be installed to run the club on a daily basis until the election results are out.

The key criteria which would eventually decide the winner this time would be the financial management of the club, the development of the Camp Nou and Lionel Messi’s potential return to the club.

Candidate Victor Font has promised that the first thing he would do if he wins would be to bring Messi back to the club. Laporta is currently serving his second term as president, with his previous term being during 2003-2010. He returned to his second term when Leo Messi left the club in 2021, when the whole club was in a financial mess.

In his second tenure, the Catalan giants have won two La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey titles and three Supercopa de Espana titles but have not managed to win the UEFA Champions League, which the club had last won back in 2016.

However, in Laporta’s era the women's team has reached great heights, winning five league titles and three Champions League titles. Therefore, he is the firm favourite to win the presidential elections and take charge of the club for the second consecutive term and his third at the club.