Presidential hopeful has criticised the power structures at the club and insisted it is time for a change
Barcelona presidential candidate Victor Font and long-time rival of Joan Laporta has called the incumbent the worst president in the club’s history and compared him to Donald Trump, ahead of the club’s elections on 15 March.
Laporta had previously dismissed Font as a “technocrat”, suggesting the challenger had no footballing instincts and would instead run the club through data and computer models. Font has now fired back with his own brutal assessment of the current president’s legacy.
“The Laporta Trump of recent years is the worst president in Barca’s history,” Font, who also competed against Laporta in the 2021 election, told Catalunya Radio.
“The best? The Laporta Kennedy, from the early days, who would now be bringing motions of no confidence against the current Laporta Trump.”
Font also raised concerns about excessive influence of a few individuals within the club, suggesting it had become a source of frustration for many Barcelona members.
“The fact that today the person who has the most power at the club, or the second most power, is someone who came from the Franco Foundation, saddens many members,” Font said. “It’s incomprehensible.”
Despite his criticism, the presidential hopeful acknowledged that Laporta had made some correct decisions during his current tenure. In particular, he credited the president with appointing Hansi Flick as head coach.
“All presidents have done things well and things poorly,” Font said. “Laporta was right to appoint Flick, although he inherited 80 percent of the first team’s squad value. That’s not to his credit.”
Font has teamed up with former Barcelona player and coach Xavi Hernandez, who has publicly criticised the club’s leadership and told supporters that Laporta had blocked Messi’s return in 2023 because he wanted to consolidate power at the club. In response, Laporta said Xavi was being “used” by Font.
“Xavi is helping to bring the truth to light,” said Font. “He’s not doing it out of spite. It’s a matter of deciding whether you want a former brother-in-law, as Xavi Hernandez said, to have more power than the president.
“The members almost have to choose between [Alejandro] Echevarria [a private individual with huge influence at the club] and [La Liga president Javier] Tebas or between Messi and Xavi.”
Font also declared to supporters that he had exciting new proposals that would transform the club if elected.
“We are making very exciting proposals for the members,” said Font. “The members must choose whether they want to continue with a Barca that is managed like a club from the 80s or 90s, or in a modern way. We want to unite all Barca fans. We want to prioritise the members.”
