Joan Laporta and Victor Font confirmed as final candidates for Barcelona presidency | OneFootball

FC Barcelona have officially confirmed the two candidates who will compete in the upcoming presidential election, setting the stage for a decisive vote that will shape the club’s future for the next five years.

The club announced that Joan Laporta and Victor Font have successfully met the requirements to stand in the election scheduled for March 15.

Both candidates managed to surpass the minimum threshold of 2,337 valid signatures needed to officially enter the race. 

As a result, Barcelona members will now choose between two projects: Laporta’s ‘Defensem el Barça’ and Font’s ‘Nosaltres’.

What’s the story?

Laporta, who has the backing of the Barcelona dressing room, emerged as the candidate with the strongest backing during the signature verification process. 

He submitted a total of 8,170 signatures, of which 7,226 were validated while 944 were declared invalid.

Font also comfortably cleared the required number of signatures. His campaign presented 5,144 signatures, with 4,440 confirmed as valid and 704 ruled invalid.

The biggest surprise of the process involved Marc Ciria, who ultimately failed to secure a place in the election. 

Ciria submitted 2,845 signatures, but after verification, only 2,247 were considered valid. 

That figure left him just 90 signatures short of the minimum requirement needed to become an official candidate.

Before the final verification results were announced, reports suggested that Font and Ciria had even considered joining forces in an attempt to challenge Laporta more effectively during the election.

However, Ciria’s campaign now plans to focus on contesting the decision.

Ciria will not bow out

According to the club’s statutes, the candidate has the right to appeal the result before the electoral board. 

His team intends to rely on Article 46 of Barcelona’s statutes to file an official complaint within three working days of the announcement.

Meanwhile, attention now turns to the official election campaign.

The campaign period will run from March 6 to March 13, during which both Laporta and Font will present their visions for the club’s future. 

As such, several debates are expected to take place between the two candidates, offering members the opportunity to compare their plans for Barcelona both on and off the pitch.