BARCELONA, Spain (AP) – A small auditorium in a working-class district of Barcelona is packed with people listening to a middle-aged man in a suit explain why people deserve their vote. There are campaign posters, jingles blaring from loudspeakers and TV cameras, lots of handshakes and selfies, and, of course, stump speeches full of promises and insults to rival candidates.
However, this is not about choosing the next mayor or filling parliamentary seats.
This campaign determines who wins the office for which they are running. FC Barcelona It was one of the most confusing times for me as I struggled to get out of a mountain of debt.
Barça (pronounced “Balça” in English) is proud of its slogan “More than just a club”, thanks to its attractive football, ties to Catalan culture and support for humanitarian work.
But what really sets Barça apart from other globally supported sports teams is that it is owned by the club’s 114,000 dues-paying members, rather than the billionaires or energy-rich Middle Eastern nation that controls Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain.
These Barça club members were called on Sunday to vote in Barcelona, three other cities in northeastern Spain, and neighboring Andorra to choose the club’s next president and board of directors.
“I love elections very much. They make me feel part of the club. My father has been a supporter of Barça since I was a child. I have lived in Barça since I was a child and have loved Barça,” Rosa Capdevila, 96, said with a cane in hand at a recent event. incumbent Joan Laporta.
But many voters believe the choice of a president who also doubles as CEO will be crucial to the future of Barça’s unusual ownership model, which is threatened by a staggering €2 billion debt burden, the highest of any football club in the world.
Real Madrid are also members-only, and Florentino Perez has led the club without much opposition for all but three years this century. More similar to Barça’s democratic model are fellow Spanish clubs Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna, as well as major Portuguese clubs Benfica, Porto and Sporting Lisbon, which do not hold the same ranking as Barça as elite football clubs but hold leadership elections.
Voter opinion is key
The election will depend on voters’ views on how Laporta has run the club under significant financial strain over the past five years.
Laporta successfully coached Barça from 2003 to 2010, during the glory days of Josep Guardiola and a young Lionel Messi, and returned to the club in 2021. Laporta inherited about 1.3 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in debt due to his predecessor’s lavish spending and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on income.
Mr Laporta, 63, has repeatedly said it was a “miracle” that the club was in ruins when he returned and was still in the hands of club members rather than being sold to third-party investors, a move he believes members have abhorred.
However, many members are critical of Laporta’s decision. sell some club assets There were also moves he called “financial levers,” such as selling 25% of the Spanish league’s television rights for the next 25 years to raise quick cash for immediate needs and sign new players.
Laporta promotes long-pending funding Camp Nou renovation workIt is Europe’s largest soccer stadium, but its debt is only increasing.
“This election is very important because Barça is in a lot of debt,” club member Josep Maria Carbonell said at another election event. “So we need new blood to get the club financially healthy, because if you are financially healthy, the rest will follow.”
Only one rival in the election
Laporta’s only rival in the election is Victor Font, as other potential candidates withdrew due to lack of support. Font, a local businessman, lost to Laporta in 2021 and has been preparing for a rematch ever since.
Font told The Associated Press that he was concerned that LaPorta would bring in big-name investors and disrupt its member-ownership model.
Font envisions Laporta “asking for about 10% to be sold to an investment fund so that we can solve our financial problems and maybe buy a great player.”
“The risks are real, and that’s why it’s so important to make changes this election,” he said.
Perez announced last year that Real Madrid was considering allowing outdoor entry. investors buy stocks Up to 10% within the club.
Laporta strongly denies that he is considering a similar move. His election manifesto includes amending the club’s constitution to include a requirement that any sale, even a partial one, must be approved by members in a referendum.
He argues that a new Camp Nou, with more seats and other sources of income, will boost revenue and make economic sense in the long term.
He also defended the club’s financial management, stressing that it has cut spending on player salaries and increased merchandise sales. According to Deloitte’s annual Money League study, Barcelona had the second-highest club revenue in world football last season, after Real Madrid, at around 974 million euros.
After Messi, Barça have Yamal
Mr. Laporta’s critics point to his record of failing to deliver on promises. In his first campaign in 2003, Laporta promised to bring in the still-young David Beckham from Manchester United, only for the English star to choose Real Madrid. And in 2021 Laporta said he would find a way retain lionel messiHowever, upon being selected, he stated that the club could not afford to keep the superstar.
In Laporta’s favor on Sunday are the trophies the team has won in recent years, including last season’s La Liga and Copa del Rey, as well as multiple successes for the women’s team, as well as the discovery of a new star player in Laporta. Lamine Yamal.
Over the past month, Laporta has toured Catalonia in a bus emblazoned with his name and the slogan “We protect Barça,” holding 30 rallies and media events.
He is calling on voters to finish the job Font started “to save Barça”, but warns Font lacks a deep emotional connection to the club.
“We cannot leave Barça in the hands of technocrats who understand Barça and are looking at computers,” Laporta said of the font. “He doesn’t have Barça in his head or in his heart.”
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AP video journalist Hernan Muñoz contributed to this report.
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