Laporta Steps Aside as Barcelona President Ahead of March Elections

By Sport Analyst

Emmanuel Afonja

Joan Laporta has officially vacated his position as president of FC Barcelona to comply with club rules as he prepares to contest the upcoming presidential election scheduled for March 15.

Barcelona’s statutes require any sitting president seeking re-election to relinquish office before the polls. As a result, the club will now be run by a transitional management commission until the election process is concluded.

Laporta, who assumed office in March 2021 after securing 54 per cent of members’ votes, leaves the role after nearly five years at the helm. During the interim period, vice president Rafa Yuste will take charge as acting president for the next three and a half months.

The 62-year-old lawyer is seeking another term and is expected to resume office on July 1 if successful. He enters the race as the frontrunner, with long-time challenger Victor Font widely regarded as his main rival.

Other confirmed contenders include former club executive Xavier Vilajoana and economist Marc Ciria, who is making his first bid for Barcelona’s presidency.

Voting eligibility extends to approximately 100,000 club members who are of legal age and have maintained membership status for at least one year.

Barcelona has announced that the election will once again be conducted across several locations in a bid to encourage higher participation. Voting centres will be set up at club facilities, as well as in the Catalan provincial capitals of Girona, Tarragona and Lleida, and in Andorra la Vella.

The club also confirmed that postal voting will not be allowed, despite appeals from opposition candidates. According to Barcelona, mail-in ballots were only authorised during the 2021 election as an exceptional measure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In that election, more than 20,000 of the roughly 55,000 voters cast their ballots by post.