Laporta talks Lamine, Messi, Real Madrid, Xavi, elections – ‘Wasn’t surprised to see Xavi with Victor Font’ | OneFootball

Speaking in an interview on El Mon a RAC1 (h/t SPORT), Barcelona president Joan Laporta addressed the appearance of former manager Xavi Hernandez at an event held by the camp of Victor Font on Monday.

The event saw the launch of the opposition group that will contest Laporta in the upcoming presidential elections, with Xavi’s presence showing that he was aligning with Font.

Laporta not surprised

During the interview, Laporta made it clear that he was not surprised to see Xavi, who was sacked as Barcelona manager in 2024, ally with Font.

“I wasn’t surprised to see Xavi with Victor Font,” said Laporta. “I thought he was free to do whatever he wanted. I’m not surprised because he had a relationship with Victor Font in the past,” he added.

The president also responded to Font’s attacks against him, although he avoided creating any confrontation with the pre-candidate.

“All Barça fans can do what they think is best. We are running the club and not campaigning. I see that it has already started, but I prefer not to talk about what is being done because otherwise we would be campaigning,” he said.

Laporta also called for calm around the electoral process, so that the noise does not end up affecting the team, saying:

“Let’s hope there isn’t too much electoral noise among everyone and that it affects the team as little as possible. We haven’t decided on the date of the elections yet, but they will be between 15 March and 15 June.

“We will decide as soon as possible and hope that they interfere with the team as little as possible.”

Laporta confirmed that the club will eliminate the financial guarantee requirement for future club presidents. He stressed:

“The guarantee was quite discriminatory, but there will still be signatures of support, which encourages candidates to come forward.”

“There will be no guarantee, which was dissuasive and discriminatory,” he repeated.

On Lamine Yamal, Messi statue

Laporta not happy over the reaction to Lamine’s withdrawal from Spain squad. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Laporta also showed frustration over the reaction to Lamine Yamal’s withdrawal from the Spanish national team, compared to the lack of scrutiny with other cases such as Dean Huijsen.

“We’re used to it now: something happens with Lamine, who has to return home due to injury, and all the media come out with superlative criticism, but if it happens to someone else, it goes unnoticed,” remarked the Barcelona chief.

Meanwhile, regarding the recently announced project to create a statue of Lionel Messi and the idea of honouring him at the new stadium, Laporta admitted that they have not yet contacted the club legend.

“We haven’t presented the proposal to Messi yet and we haven’t had any notification, but the proposal will be made in due course,” he confirmed.

Laporta joked about his experiences at Real Madrid’s stadium, Santiago Bernabeu, during El Clasico encounters, saying:

“In that box, they are always confident that they are going to win, and when they do not, it’s a very pleasant feeling as a Barça fan. I’ve encountered some sarcastic comments, but if they say something to you, you respond.

“It’s bearable, and I find it somewhat amusing. I’ve met five Madrid presidents, and Florentino is very polite whether he wins or loses. There is institutional harmony.”