The presidential race is [officially a two-man scrap](/barcelona-news/114376/barcelona-confirm-its-joan-laporta-vs-victor-font-as-presidency-race-hots-up), and Joan Laporta is already swinging. Now that the electoral board confirmed a head-to-head battle between the outgoing president and Víctor Font, the pleasantries are over. Following the disqualification of Marc Ciria, who missed the cut by a painful 90 signatures, Laporta has focused his energy on dismantling his rival’s credibility.
The sharpest jabs from Laporta’s recent stops in Igualada and his sit-down with _Mundo Deportivo_ involve a fierce defense of the current setup. Laporta sees Font’s habit of dropping names like Dani Olmo’s as a calculated attempt to “destabilize” the squad mid-season. Laporta called it a “lack of experience” from a rival who chooses to talk about transfer targets at the worst possible times.
Font had been particularly vocal about the registration sagas surrounding players Olmo, previously labeling the club’s inability to register players without improvisation as a sign of poor mangement.
Laporta threw jabs at other Font ideas, including the idea of replacing Deco with a three-person committee, which the outgoing president called “psychedelic.”
Then there is the matter of the project Laporta is staking his entire legacy on - the stadium. He argued the Spotify Camp Nou provides “present and future” security and that the members are already seeing the benefits. He didn’t miss the chance to remind everyone that Font once suggested it was the wrong time for such a massive undertaking. Laporta’s take is that it “took the courage to do it.” If Font is still stuck in a “parallel world” doubting the move, Laporta said that is his problem.
Laporta is particularly fed up with a recent complaint filed in a Spanish court by a new club member. He told _Mundo Deportivo_ that it was a “shame” to see Font allegedly validate a move designed specifically to “stain” the election process with “falsehoods and lies.” By Laporta’s logic, Font has “discredited” himself for the presidency by backing these types of maneuvers against the club’s own workers and executives.
Font has denied being involved in the lawsuit, saying he did not think that lawsuits were effective in helping the club’s situation. However, the challenger said it was a natural consequence of Laporta’s lack of transparency as president.