At the beginning of last September, Joan Laporta assured in an appearance before the media that FC Barcelona’s continued difficulties with the fair play economic to register players did not worry him. “We have not reached the 1-1 formula because we did not want to,” he stated smugly. That same day, the Barça president also noted that, “if there are no imponderables, we will return when we said we would,” in reference to the return to the Spotify Camp Nou stadium. And he decorated himself to finish, making the front row occupied by his managers and closest employees smile. “I like to generate hopes and motivate, but without launching frivolous proclamations. I could unleash optimism with much more power and I am holding back.” Months later, Dani Olmo is not guaranteed registration to play in 2025 and the first team continues to play its games in Montjuïc, a cold stadium from which nine points have been blown in the last three games, with no specific date for their return.
Laporta fits with the populism that is current in politics today: he rules alone and mixes desire with reality
Joan Laporta’s mandate is in its fourth year and it can already be said that confusing desires with realities is the trait that best describes him. Devoid of a general director by his own will, Laporta, on a smaller scale, but with extreme similarity, commands in the style of the new political leaders of the great powers: alone, with hardly any opposition and accompanied by acolytes who flatter him. That Catalan Kennedy that he wanted to see is more similar today to a kilometer zero Trump who lives from day to day based on a zigzagging script that he himself writes every morning. Today it is about how to register Olmo or when to return to the Camp Nou, yesterday it was Messi’s barbecue, the Super League with Florentino or the great project (ruinous until further notice) of Barça Studios. Tomorrow, God will say. Even the brightness of the recent multimillion-dollar renewal contract signed with Nike has a dark side. Where it was said (electoral campaign) that the lack of transparency with commissions is over, intermediaries appear even to close operations in which it is not known why they are needed. Darren Dein, the same mediator used to shake Spotify’s hand, has been required to resolve the negotiations between two parties, a club and a North American multinational, who did not need to be introduced because they have been collaborating for decades. Little is known about Dein’s role, but it is clear that it has been colossal judging by the millions of euros he will earn. Several dozen. Many, for one person.
Little is known about the partners, either because Montjuïc has not caught on or because their attitude has changed.
Laporta does not respond to almost anyone because the partner’s voice is silenced with each mandate. All presidents promise to improve the questionable representativeness of the assembly, but when push comes to shove, when they come to power, they proceed to give it a new brushing. The spirit of rebellion is not evident in Montjuïc either, either because those who attend approve of Laporta’s management, or because any sampling, in a stadium where tens of thousands of subscribers have not wanted to go, becomes complicated.
The team has plummeted in the League, but its good performance in the Champions League protects it from discouragement
On social networks, criticism, no matter how constructive it may be, is punished with systematic insults by militant Laportismo, especially in low to oxygenate. Some of them, by the way, were real whippings when Bartomeu was in charge, but that doesn’t even count. On the other hand, the role of the specialized press regarding power, compared to other stages, is lukewarm.
The agreement with Nike defines this mandate: the figures are hidden and an intermediary is enriched
Hansi Flick, for his part, is a unique case. Despite the unexpected plummet of his team in the League, no one thinks of questioning his figure. The German coach is well liked and the memory of his impressive start, as well as his great role in the Champions League (second place in the new format), tempers any hint of media or managerial complaints. The magical week in which his team chained victories against Bayern and against Madrid at the Bernabéu (0-4), displaying a great game, is more important than the subsequent collapse in the Spanish championship, despite the fact that the numbers are more typical of a sovereign crisis than those of an accidental downturn. Without a doubt, the appearance of players like Marc Casadó and the consecration of Lamine Yamal help to soften an atmosphere that for other coaches, with equal or better records, was much harsher.
Thus, the hope of the return of the best football, as seen last Saturday against Atlético despite the unfortunate final result, stops for the moment any worries or latent storms that will be unleashed in 2025 if the results are not reversed soon.
2024 ends and FC Barcelona continues to go through a difficult economic and sporting situation, far from home and with too many fronts open.
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