Joan Laporta (Barcelona, 61 years old) arrives punctually at the Camp Nou offices in the early hours. There are numerous questions about which to ask him, some delicate, but the president of FC Barcelona has never lacked conviction and energy to face them. Economy, football, Messi, endorsements, sections, cuts, Espai Barça, Qatar... Another manager would shrink, but Laporta says that running this huge club is "easier than you think". He doesn't even avoid talking about his health. "I have rope for a while", he warns.
You returned to the presidency in March 2021. In July 2023, is the club better or worse than you had imagined?
The club is better financially, sportingly, socially and institutionally. But the situation we find ourselves in is derived from the legacy we received.
What bothers you most about the economic situation?
It doesn't bother me, it keeps me busy. When we arrived it was critical, but we were able to react and saved the club from bankruptcy. We began the recovery by restructuring the debt and the leverage situation arrived, allowing us to return to profitability for the first time in many years.
Without the leverage effect, there would be no benefits. Lack of self-criticism to recognize that the club finds it difficult to generate?
I'm self-critical whenever necessary, but I don't agree. Although it is difficult to get income, the club will get a record sponsorship this season and, when we close the accounts, it will be able to be verified. For next year, we have already covered 95% of the sponsorship budget. The club is very attractive to investors and sponsors, they believe in our history and in the Barcelona spirit.
You are very optimistic.
We are in a moment that must be used to the maximum. We won the women's Champions League, the League with Xavi... This creates a very good inertia, we have recovered the joy. We have proposals from the United States, the Persian Gulf and Mexico to play friendly matches that can generate significant income for us. As for basketball, we negotiate with the Lakers... We will get out of the tunnel.
You said the Persian Gulf. But wasn't a country like Qatar evil, according to its values?
I don't want to go back to the past, but what I said was that I did not agree with the Qatar Foundation when it was said that it was like the Unicef of the Persian Gulf. I found it a huge barbarity.
The recent trip to Qatar obeys?
We are trying to recover the economy of the club and there are some markets in which we cannot stop working. Qatar has just organized a World Cup. They want to invest. I went there following some board colleagues who met a businessman from Qatar who was interested in doing things with Barça.
Do values change when one is inside?
No, no and no, I continue to maintain the same, but I am also an open person, and it is clear that in these countries there are movements of openness in terms of equal gender rights.
Who wins more, them washing their image or Barça?
Barça gets some financial resources and it is interesting for them. Sport is a way to confirm the opening movements.
Spending also needs to be cut.
We know that our surplus comes as a result of levers, that is, it is not an operating surplus, so we are reducing spending and we are achieving it.
Wasn't the viability plan applied late?
Although LaLiga had not imposed it on us, we would have applied it. It is a very strict and aggressive plan, which serves us to register players and improve financial fair play. From the beginning we knew that the sports salary mass was exceeded. Everything fits with the strategic and business plan to make the first team more competitive.
Víctor Font does not agree with his perception of the economic situation. He claims that today his inheritance would be worse than Bartomeu's.
Everyone has an opinion, which I respect, but it's not true. He will already know why he says that, but those of us who run the club know that it is much better than it was two years ago, despite the obstacles. The club will pick up cruising speed next year.
There is a group of members who have filed a complaint about their funding plan. Does your opinion matter?
Of course I care. In fact, we have already channeled everything through the economic committee. The economic vice president has had contact with all of them, but I think they are uninformed or misinformed.
Is it normal at this time that the board still has to endorse six million? Do you improvise?
It's just that the magnitude of the tragedy was enormous when we arrived. Debt and ten years of negative operating results are not fixed in one, two or three years. We made a shock plan.
The levers...
A part of some assets has been sold for a certain period of time and, moreover, at a very good price. And this has allowed us to be able to return to surplus, pay off debt and gain financial credibility to get investments.
They have closed Barça TV, a very controversial measure.
It gives losses of 12 million every year that we don't necessarily have to bear, it doesn't make any sense, neither economic nor informative. It is poorly organized, uses outdated and very expensive material and, as we are, we have to opt for other solutions that technology allows us to do. I welcome that Telefónica has reached an agreement with the workers, which are very valid. I think we made the right decision, beyond the pain and anguish we had to unblock the situation.
Much is said about the ownership model of the club. In fact, you guys included it in a membership survey.
The club tries to ask everything to find out how Barcelonism is doing, and given the news that comes out in the media, some of them are obsessed with turning the club into a limited company, we did it.
What is your opinion?
Thinking of transforming the club into SA is a big mistake. The opinion of the members is determining, decisive and binding for me, and fortunately they think like me, they want to continue being owners of the club. As long as I am president, Barça will be part of the partners.
And a hybrid formula like the German one?
I do not like it. Our government model is a distinctive fact, it belongs to our history. Organize the competitions that are organized.
By the way, the Superliga has come to nothing.
There we are, resisting like the last ones in the Philippines for the sake of soccer. We must wait for the judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union this July. I am convinced that it will be favorable, and from here we will have to establish a dialogue with UEFA.
Don't you think that a president alone cannot take on all these issues? Why not appoint another CEO?
Everything will come, but we are still in a phase where I think the club needs this model of governance and management. The situation requires vigilance.
You command a lot.
We have a very horizontal organization. My day-to-day struggle is to create cooperation between the different areas. Each area manager performs the functions of a general manager in his area of competence and we dispatch weekly. Everything is under control and I dedicate myself fully to it. I am also fortunate that the vice president of finance is now almost exclusively dedicated to it. Until we have peace of mind and positive operating results, we will be there.
It's very complicated. Barça is like a multinational.
If each of the club's estates assumes its role, it is not complicated to lead and preside over Barça. It's about being a bit positive, optimistic and working.
The formula has helped him to convince UEFA. Barça will compete in the Champions League next year.
I was convinced it would be like this and I'm happy. I trusted my gut and had information. On the contrary, it didn't make any sense, it was condemning a club before being judged.
