Barcelona president Joan Laporta has opened fire on the Madrid and Casablanca bids to host the 2030 World Cup final, demanding that the new Camp Nou be nominated as a third option and insisting that the Blaugrana's stadium is the most deserving venue for the world's biggest event.
Speaking on Catalunya Ràdio and Cadena SER at an event marking 50 years of radio broadcasting of football matches in Catalan, Laporta did not mince his words: "The option should not be Casablanca or Madrid, it should be Camp Nou. Casablanca and Madrid are the same."
He wants the Blaugrana's home put forward as a genuine candidate to host the final, pushing to make it "a third option" alongside the Santiago Bernabéu and the anticipated Hassan II Stadium.
The new stadium's 105,000 capacity, in Laporta's view, is the compelling reason FIFA should take it seriously. He pointed out that the Santiago Bernabéu staged the 1982 World Cup final, and argued that bringing the 2030 showpiece to Camp Nou would only add to Barcelona's global fame.
A decisive stance on the Ceuta issue
Laporta did not stop at the World Cup. He also addressed the row sparked by some players backing the city of Ceuta before Elche's match with Real Madrid, when they wore shirts reading "We are all Kabayas".
Defending his club's position, the Barcelona president came down firmly on the side of free speech: "Regarding Ceuta, the club stands in defence of freedom of expression. We grant our players the freedom to make such statements."
On the events surrounding the Elche match, he insisted symbols should cause no problems as long as they carry no message of hatred, a clear reference to what unfolded that day.
"What happened in Elche should not be normalised," he said.
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Several examples followed to spell out his philosophy: "This guarantees the possibility of raising the Catalan flag, or the Estelada flag, or the Barcelona flag naturally. As long as it does not express hatred, I believe it should be respected."