It's a homecoming 11 years after leaving the club.

Joan Laporta was elected president of FC Barcelona on Sunday, March 7, and will have to lead the reconstruction of a club that has lost its place of scarecrow on the European continent.

Four months after the resignation of Josep Maria Bartomeu, Barça was missing a president in permanent crisis for more than a year and who has not won anything since April 2019, to be reborn and open a new page in its history, with as the first file the future of his superstar Lionel Messi, at the end of his contract at the end of June.

While the daily life of the illustrious Catalan club is punctuated by a search and arrests like last week, internal scandals and sporting disillusions, the return to the fore of Joan Laporta, who had already been president of the club between 2003 and 2010 is synonymous with a return to stability.

Announced favorite, Laporta crushed the ballot with 54.28% of the votes (30,184 votes), ahead of the two other candidates Victor Font (16,679 votes, 29.99%) and Toni Freixa (4,769 votes, 8.58%) ), according to official Barça figures. 

🗳 2021 ELECTION 🗳



The final tally of the FC Barcelona presidential election with 100% of the vote counted.

pic.twitter.com/dVS33mjpXe

- FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 7, 2021

Figures ardently celebrated by Laporta, who sang the Barça anthem and jumped into the arms of his relatives, all smiles, before uncorking the champagne.

He also received congratulations from Font and Freixa.

🙌 Baaaarça, Baaaarça, Baaaaarça !!!

😍 pic.twitter.com/EzKlJgMGu8

- FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 7, 2021

No "catastrophism"   

If there remains for many socios the one who started the era of "great Barça", with Guardiola, Xavi, Iniesta, Messi and twelve titles in his pocket, Laporta finds himself facing a huge reconstruction project.

The first hot file concerns Messi's future.

The 33-year-old Argentinian, who wanted to set sail last summer before changing his mind, has not yet decided anything ... but is officially free to negotiate his exit to another club since January 1.

La Pulga (chip, in Spanish) came to deposit his ballot in the ballot box accompanied by his son Thiago on Sunday morning: a great first for the Argentinian legend, who had never spoken before in a presidential election in his club.

"Exactly 20 years ago today, a certain Messi made his debut with the youngsters of Barça. And that he came to vote today means that Leo loves Barça. Between all of them, we will convince him to stay. An applause for Messi! ", launched Laporta during his first speech as president, Sunday evening after midnight.

The second big project will be economic: with more than a billion euros in long-term debt, and 730.6 million euros to be found by the end of June, Laporta will have to negotiate a phasing with the creditors ... and discuss with the cloakroom for a possible reduction in wages.

Other files are piling up: the delay in renovating Camp Nou, which was to be launched in 2017, but has barely started;

or the sporting crisis and the glaring lack of results, while Barça has not won anything since April 2019 and moves to Paris SG on Wednesday in the round of 16 second leg of the Champions League, after having was sharply beaten 4-1 on the first leg.

The objective: "to avoid catastrophism", as pointed out by Laporta during his victory speech.

Legitimacy

But Laporta starts his new mandate with a very strong support base.

These elections generated a strong mobilization, with 55,611 votes recorded (including 20,663 by mail) out of the 110,290 socios (supporters-shareholders) of voting age (50.42% participation), a few hundred votes above the record. dating from the 2010 presidential election (57,088 votes cast).

"The high participation surprised me given the difficulties of mobility that there were between provinces. It was not easy (to organize this) but we are satisfied with how it went", savored Carles. Tusquets, at the head of the transitional management commission responsible for organizing the election postponed from January to March due to the pandemic.

The players of the first team (Sergio Busquets, Riqui Puig) and legends of the club (Eric Abidal, Carles Puyol, Luis Enrique) also came to vote ... and even the ex-president Josep Maria Bartomeu, arrested, heard by justice then released between Monday and Tuesday in the case of "Barçagate", an alleged campaign of slander targeting figures of the club.

Bartomeu replaced, it is now Laporta who will be the architect of Barça's revival.

And he opened his new page on Sunday evening, declaring: "We're going to Paris to go back up!"

With AFP

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