Victor Font and Joan Laporta clashed on Thursday night in a fiery debate, in what is perhaps their final chance to win over the hearts and minds of members before the elections on Sunday. By popular vote, Barcelona members will have a choice between the two candidates to elect the president for the next five years.
Laporta is running for a fourth mandate, and is playing the continuity card, claiming that his presence is the only way to guarantee Hansi Flick’s position as manager. On the other hand, Font, who was his closest challenger in 2021, is battling on the grounds that Barcelona’s precarious finances are threatening Barcelona’s sustainability.
🚨 Ronald Araújo also invited Marc-André ter Stegen to the dinner at his house last night. The goalkeeper, injured and on loan at Girona FC, didn't hesitate and accepted the invite. [@DBR8]
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) March 13, 2026
Laporta was on the offensive from the outset of the debate, and sought to cast Font as someone without real-life experience of the job.
“Font denies the obvious and tells lies. He’s a technocrat who works behind a computer. He wants to destroy everything we’ve built,” Sport quote. One of the questions over Laporta’s management in recent years is the significant delays to the renovation of Camp Nou.
“The plan is to have the roof by 2028. These projects aren’t an exact science; there are unforeseen circumstances. 80% of the capacity will be for season ticket holders, and there will be 5,000 more on the waiting list. Non-season ticket holders will get a 50% discount on tickets.”
Meanwhile Font pointed out that Laporta has hiked the prices for match-going fans and members.
“On Sunday, we have to choose between a model of confrontation and a president who hands out membership cards, caters to tourists, and criminalises the supporters’ section; a Barca that limits us or an unstoppable one.”
“The current economic model depends on tourism. A member who wants to go to a match has to spend a fortune.”
Another key point of digression between the two are Deco and Alejandro Echevarria. Laporta has credited his sporting director with building a successful side, and defended his work.
“Victor Font bases his campaign on lies. He wants to replace Deco with three people. Deco’s departure jeopardises Hansi Flick’s job security. This shows a complete lack of understanding of how things work. Deco is better than Mateu Alemany [his predecessor]. Alemany knows about as much about football as me. He has built the squad, revitalised a whole generation of young players. There’s a structure in place that works.”
On the other hand, Font attacked the presence of Laporta’s brother-in-law, who resigned from the Barcelona board after it was found out that he is a patron of the Francisco Franco Foundation. With Laporta’s return to power in 2021, Echevarria returned as an unofficial advisor and fixer.
“Deco is a partner of Alejandro Echevarria, which is his main qualification for being Barca’s sporting director. He replaced Johan Cruyff’s son, who left undervalued, and Mateu Alemany. What he has, he inherited. We can’t have fascists at Barcelona [referring to Echevarria].”
Font has also claimed that he is negotiating a first right of refusal on Erling Haaland.
“We had to give Inigo Martinez away, and we’re really missing him this year. We’re negotiating a purchase option for Erling Haaland for when he wants to leave Manchester City.”
“The Haaland thing is a complete lie, which has already been debunked. It’s backfired on him. You have no sense of shame,” Laporta fired back, referencing a message from Haaland’s agent Rafaela Pimenta.
One the main criticisms of Laporta’s tenure this time around has been both the fact of and the manner of Lionel Messi’s exit. Laporta ran on a platform of promising Messi’s continuity last time, and Font has said he would try to bring him back.
“To say that Messi is the past is to belittle the best player in history. Messi is the present and also the future. We’ll offer him the honorary presidency. Flick, along with the sporting director, will decide how his career should end.”
Laporta’s relationship with Messi and his family deteriorated after that, but he has denied Xavi Hernandez’s contention that he sabotaged a deal to bring him back in 2023.
“Messi deserves a statue; he’s been the best player in history. However, Barca fans want to focus on the present. We’re not going to use him like others have.”
Barcelona face Sevilla on Sunday, and members will have the chance to vote on the day of the game. Laporta is the heavy favourite to win, but Font was generally perceived to have performed well in the debate, especially considering Laporta’s excellent oratory ability.
