Joan Laporta has won the Barcelona presidential election, MySportDab reports.
Laporta stood the election against Victor Fonte and breezed to victory after wielding over 70% of the votes. Per ESPN, Laporta totalled 32,928 of the 48,480 votes cast, with Fonte managing just 14,385.
Reacting to his emergence as the winner of the belated the election, Laporta thanked the club and promised more successful years for the club under his watch.
“First of all, I want to dedicate a few words of gratitude to this wonderful club we have,” Laporta said after his victory was ratified to the backdrop of chants of ‘president.’
“It’s great to see that members can still choose who represents us. This passion is a joy, it makes the club special, so thanks to Barça and all the members that voted today in a display of democracy.”
The list of voters in the election included both former and current players at the club, including past managers.
One of the legendary figures in Barcelona that campaigned against Joan Laporta’s re-election was their former manager and player Xavi Hernandez.
A few days before the elections, Xavi lambasted Joan Laporta for his role on Messi’s inability to return to the club.
According to him, all was concluded for Messi to return to the club after his two-seasons’ spell with PSG in Ligue 1, only for Laporta to scuttle the move.
Victor Fonte made Messi’s return to the club a central mantra of his campaign, saying he will immediately move to facilitate Messi’s return to the club if re-elected president.
The emergence of Joan Laporta as the winner ot the election means the narrative of Messi’s potential return to the club has been finally shut down.
Notably, Laporta has presided over Barcelona in the club’s most successful era in modern times. He was president of the club from 2003 to 2010 when the club dominated Spanish and European club football.
Despite recent financial setbacks, Laporta seems to have brought Barcelona back on track, thanks to new manager Hansi Flick, who is overseeing a promising sporting era in the club’s history and also helping the club recover gradually from recent financial setbacks.
It’s worth noting Flick campaigned vigorously for Laporta and even threatened to quit his role as the club’s manager if he doesn’t win the election.
