Joan Laporta was reelected as FC Barcelona president for another five years after winning a leadership vote among club members on Sunday.
Election Results
Shortly after midnight, the club announced Laporta received 68% of the votes. His only rival, Víctor Font, had earlier conceded defeat and congratulated Laporta "for his unquestionable victory."
More than 48,000 of Barça's 114,000 club members cast ballots at Camp Nou Stadium or at four other voting stations across Catalonia and Andorra.
Victory Speech
"Thanks to this marvelous club, where its fans still vote to decide who will be their president and executive board," Laporta said in his victory speech at Camp Nou.
Background
Laporta previously presided over Barça from 2003-10 during the glory years of coach Pep Guardiola and a young Lionel Messi. He was voted back into his post in 2021 when the club faced a dire economic situation.
In response to the crisis, Laporta decided Barcelona could no longer afford Messi, who left for Paris Saint-Germain, and sold off club assets including 25% of its Spanish league TV rights for the next 25 years.
The club's debt has grown from 1.3 billion euros to over 2 billion euros under his watch, partly due to the long-overdue renovation of Camp Nou.
Recent Success
Laporta, 63, was helped by the strong performance of the team under coach Hansi Flick and the emergence of new star player Lamine Yamal.
He defended his financial management by highlighting that the club has lowered its spending on player wages and boosted revenues.
Coach Flick and several players from the men's and women's teams cast ballots at Camp Nou on Sunday, the same day Barcelona's men's team beat Sevilla 5-2 to retain its lead of the Spanish league.