‘The club has recovered’: Laporta pens open letter after completing three years as Barcelona president

On March 7, Barcelona president Joan Laporta will complete three years of his position at the Catalan club and in an open letter, the 61-year-old shed light on his encounter with the present circumstances and anticipation of future developments, coupled with an assertive plea directed towards the partners.

“The sporting, economic and institutional recovery of FC Barcelona is being achieved because we have remained more united than ever against those who want to harm us,” he was quoted by Mundo Deportivo. 

“Barça is an irreducible, invincible feeling. I ask that we remain more united than ever in the defence of our shield, our values, our teams,” he added.

The president, who thanked the Board of Directors for placing their trust in his vision asserted that there is no doubt that the team is on the right path and with courage, the team has the capability of recovering from the past.

“Without a doubt, Barça is on the right path, the institution is strong, the club is well organized and we can affirm that, with talent, courage, audacity and professionalism, the club has been straightened out and recovered.”

Laporta mentioned that the situation has gotten much better at Barcelona over the course of three years and it is certainly not a result of chance or mere luck. Rather, it is the commitment of everyone associated with the team that has made it happen.

“Nothing has been the result of chance, but the sum of many efforts used to follow a detailed strategic plan reviewed weekly by those responsible for various departments that make up a solvent organization committed to the club,” he mentioned.

Takeover at a difficult time

Joan Laporta will complete three years as Barcelona’s president. (Photo by VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO/AFP via Getty Images)

It is to be noted that when Laporta took over the reins, Barcelona were on a massive financial slump so much so that there were miscalculations everywhere.

In this state, it has been argued that if it were a private company, the process of bankruptcy would have started, but Laporta did not make it happen. 

“When we were elected, the club’s own funds were negative and the debt was astronomical, with a large short-term component. In addition, there was a clear undervaluation of the Espai Barça project; a failure to meet commitments with sporting and financial entities.

“With these figures, a private company would have entered into a process of technical bankruptcy. But we did not shrink from such a threat and we made brave decisions,” he added.

Massive development in his regime

The president is happy with how Barça has grown in the last three years. The club is now in a better financial position, with more income and lower expenses for players’ salaries. He also asserted that many big companies want to be partners or investors with Barça. 

Furthermore, upon talking about the upcoming challenges Barcelona will face, he said the plan is “based on the acceleration of the club’s business to complete the economic recovery and the consolidation in the world’s first line of sports. 

“Less than ten months to celebrate 125 years of history, our purpose is none other than to continue being the best multi-sports club in the world.

“The central project of our mandate is the Espai Barça, with the new Spotify Camp Nou at the helm, an essential project to keep FC Barcelona in the leadership of world football and become one of the pillars of the Club’s economic viability,” he wrote.

The president ended by calling for unity among the club supporters, writing, “I ask that we remain more united than ever in the defence of our shield, our values, our teams. It is worth remembering that in the current season, we still have many goals to achieve in sports.

“Here we fight until the end. We can win or we can lose, it is part of the sport, but we never throw in the towel because winning is part of our competitive essence,” he added