'He’s doesn't care' - Joan Laporta slammed for 'opportunistic' decision to call Barcelona presidential election before end of season

There is some flexibility on when the elections can be held and he could have chosen any date between the middle of March and the middle of June. However, Laporta has opted to hold elections in the earliest possible window, meaning they will be held on March 15 this year while the team is still competing in various competitions, including the Champions League round of 16.

"The Board of Directors has agreed to call elections for the club presidency on Sunday 15 March 2026," a statement read on the club's official website earlier this week.

"In the coming days, and in accordance with the deadlines established in the FC Barcelona Statutes, the official call will be published, including the schedule and all details of the electoral process."

Laporta is running for re-election, while Victor Font, Marc Ciria, Xavier Vilajoana and Joan Camprubi have all announced their intention to run. However, the current Barcelona president has been slammed by his rivals for calling the election before the campaign draws to a close.

Speaking with Spanish publicationSPORT, Ciria said: "We had already planned that Laporta was going to take advantage of any opportunistic moment to call the elections. We understand that the statutes provided for it, but the normal thing was to do it with the season over and with the different teams fighting for the titles not seen in this noise."

It's been rumoured that Laporta decided to call the election for the earliest possible window with support for the 63-year-old currently at its highest. Barcelona sit top of La Liga, recently beat rivals Real Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana final, and are expected to secure a spot in the last 16 of the Champions League when they welcome Copenhagen to Spotify Camp Nou next week.

"It is obvious that these elections are called when it suits Laporta," Victor Fort added. "He doesn’t care about holding elections in the middle of a Champions League tie. But we were already expecting it, we are not surprised. We are prepared. These are very important elections for the future of Barca. The time begins to return Barca to the members.

"Of course, if March 15 finally coincides with a match against Sevilla, we demand that on that day the match be exclusively for members and that tickets are at the minimum cost. Participation must be encouraged and those who do not have season tickets cannot be discriminated against."

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Another presidential candidate, Vilajoana, said of Laporta's decision: "My team and I have been working for some time now, so we’re ready when the time comes.

"I would like the elections to be as participatory as possible, so that members can hear and compare as many proposals as possible, and so that the club provides every opportunity for members to have all the information they need to decide and choose the person they consider the best president for Barca."

For their names to eventually be on the ballot, however, candidates need to get 2,321 signatures from Barcelona club members backing their candidacy. 

Laporta, though, defended his decision to call elections in mid-March, stating that the date was the "most appropriate on a sporting an institutional level". Laporta must now resign from his role in February ahead of the elections, with a management committee placed in charge to oversee the running of day-to-day operations.

Barcelona followed up their 2-1 loss at Real Sociedad last weekend with a 4-2 win over Slavia Prague in the Champions League in midweek. The Anoeta reverse means the Blaugrana's lead a the top of La Liga has been cut to just one point.

And while they remain out of the automatic spots in the Champions League, they sit level on 13 points with Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle and Chelsea in sixth, seventh, and eighth, respectively. Next up for Barcelona is the visit of Real Oviedo in La Liga on Sunday.