FC Barcelona's storied history is full of emotion, but the run-up to Sunday’s election for president at the club has taken on an air of Shakespearean drama. The club's main opponent to current President Joan Laporta, Victor Font, has now called on the club's greatest player (Lionel Messi) to speak up about what is at stake in this election.
There are huge questions surrounding the "fairytale return" of 2023 and how that return could have been ruined due to fear of the internal workings of the club as opposed to purely financial issues.
The Xavi Bombshell: A Power Struggle in the Shadows
This week, the campaign trail took a wild turn after Xavi Hernandez, the former manager, dropped some bombshells. Xavi says the whole story about Messi picking Inter Miami for a “quieter life” just isn’t true. He claims Joan Laporta, the club president, actually blocked Messi’s return worried Messi’s influence would trigger a power struggle both in the locker room and up in the boardroom.
For the socis the die-hard member-owners of the club this all stings. Laporta won the presidency back in 2021 by promising to keep Messi. That promise fell apart, and Messi ended up leaving for PSG in tears. People never really got over it. Now, Font says the campaign is just reopening old wounds with a bunch of “smoke and mirrors.”
Font’s Gambit: "Don't Vote Misled"
"I don't think Messi will say anything between now and Sunday, but I hope he does, " Victor Font said during a tense press conference on Tuesday. His words were very pointed and targeted directly the core of Laporta's current momentum. Font warned the voters not to get "blinded by the smoke screen of hope" that is currently being created by Hansi Flick's tactical changes and the rising stars from La Masia.
Font's plan is very understandable: he is attempting to break down the present happiness to the voters and at the same time remind them of what they think was a betrayal in the past. If Messi confirmed that a deal was negotiated but the President did not want to accept it, Laporta's trustworthiness could be destroyed before the first voting starts on Sunday.
Until this time, the "official" narrative of the events promoted heavily by the Laporta administration was that Jorge Messi directed his son to pursue a Major League Soccer (MLS) contract so as to avoid the tremendous stresses placed on him by playing in Europe. Laporta has always portrayed himself as an individual who has done his very best but was obstructed from fulfilling his goal by the player's need for privacy.
As per Xavi's version, the choice came from a political reason rather than a personal one. By representing Messi's re-signing as something that would jeopardize the stability of the club, the administration may have protected their own authority at the expense of the fans' most important desire.
As the socis get ready to vote, Messi’s shadow hangs over everything. Barcelona feels stuck between two lives clinging to memories of its glory days, but also grinding through the tough rebuild with Hansi Flick in charge.
If Messi keeps quiet, Laporta probably cruises to another term on the back of the team’s recent wins. But if Messi decides to say something, he could shake up the whole race all over again.
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