The three presidential candidates vying to elevate Barcelona from considered one of its worst disaster in latest reminiscence have forged their ballots on Sunday, with the winner set to inherit a membership mired in hassle on and off the sphere.
Former president Joan Laporta, businessman Víctor Font and longtime board member Toni Freixa are among the many greater than 110,000 members who’re eligible to vote within the election being held simply days after the membership’s final elected president — Josep Maria Bartomeu — spent an evening in jail whereas Catalan police investigated attainable irregularities throughout his administration.
Lionel Messi and different gamers additionally had already voted. The membership printed a photograph of Messi casting his poll on Sunday morning.
The winner, who will earn a five-year time period, shall be introduced late on Sunday, capping per week wherein the membership made worldwide headlines after a police raid on the group’s headquarters led to arrests and additional embarrassment for an establishment that has lengthy prided itself as “more than a club.”
The police investigation was associated to the so-called “Barçagate,” which concerned allegations that the previous govt board employed an web companies firm to unfold unfavorable messages about its personal gamers and opponents on social media to spice up the picture of senior membership officers.
🗳 2021 ELECTIONS🏟 Camp NouThe 🐐 has voted pic.twitter.com/iXs6EONRf6
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 7, 2021
🔥 The captain of the primary group, Leo Messi, workouts his proper to vote on the Camp Nou 🔥 pic.twitter.com/oiPVRcQHtl
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 7, 2021
🗳 2021 ELECTIONS
👋 Former Barça participant and coach @LUISENRIQUE21 workouts his proper to vote on the Camp Nou pic.twitter.com/TmxEHT2xLA
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 7, 2021
The presidential election was initially scheduled for the top of January however was postponed due to the pandemic. Members can vote on the group’s Camp Nou Stadium and at different polling stations in northeast Catalonia and neighboring Andorra. Voting by mail additionally was allowed in sure circumstances.
The elections had been referred to as after Bartomeu and his board resigned in October dealing with a attainable no-confidence referendum by membership members indignant concerning the group’s trophy-less 2019-20 season — the primary since 2007-08. The season resulted in a humiliating 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich within the Champions League quarterfinals.
The membership has certified for the Copa del Rey closing and is second within the Spanish league this season. It received 2-0 at Osasuna on Saturday.
The new president will face daunting issues that embody the attainable departure of Messi on the finish of the season and a debt of greater than 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) introduced on largely by the coronavirus pandemic but in addition by one of many highest payrolls in soccer.
Messi’s future has been a key subject in the course of the marketing campaign. The Argentina nice was upset with Bartomeu after he denied his request to go away the membership on the finish of final season. Messi can depart without cost on the finish of his contract this summer season and all candidates have stated they are going to attempt to persuade the membership’s all-time main scorer to remain.
Laporta, who was president between 2003-2010 throughout Messi’s breakout seasons, says he’s in the very best place to persuade the participant to remain.
Of the three candidates, 52-year-old Freixa is the one one who has assured that coach Ronald Koeman would stay in place to see out his contract via the top of subsequent season. The 48-year-old Font, in contrast, has promised to deliver again midfield nice Xavi Hernández in some capability, both as sports activities director or as coach.
Font is the one outsider among the many candidates who has no expertise on the membership’s administration. He has been calling for renewal on the membership.
Freixa was a Barcelona board member from 2010-15. He rejects its portrayal as a membership getting ready to collapse and says that he can win as an underdog.
