Laporta steps down as Barcelona president to stand for re-election

Joan Laporta has resigned as Barcelona president to allow re-election. This has started a 35-day countdown to the elections on March 15, the club said on Monday.

Laporta, who took office in March 2021 after winning 54 percent of the vote, is stepping down after almost five years in charge, in accordance with the club’s statutes. Vice President Rafa Yuste will be president for the next three and a half months.

Lawyer Laporta aims to regain the role at the ballot box and return to office on July 1. He is widely seen as the favorite against old rival Victor Font.

Former club director Xavier Vilajoana and economist Marc Ciria, who participated in the Barcelona elections for the first time, have also confirmed their intention to run for office.

About 100,000 Barcelona members who are of legal age and have at least one year of membership are eligible to vote.

Barcelona confirmed that the elections will again take place in multiple locations, a decision aimed at increasing turnout. Polling stations will be established at the club’s facilities, in the three other Catalan provincial capitals Girona, Tarragona and Lleida, and in Andorra la Vella.

The club said postal voting will not be allowed despite requests from opposition candidates.

“This was implemented on an exceptional basis in the 2021 elections due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” Barcelona said in a statement.

More than 20,000 of the 55,000 members who voted in the 2021 elections did so by post. Laporta’s final spell at the helm has been turbulent and transformative. It started with the departure of Lionel Messi to Paris Saint-Germain and has grown into a team defending the La Liga and Copa del Rey titles as it tries to reassert itself in Europe after reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League last year.

The squad now includes 18-year-old Lamine Yamal, a product of La Masia, whose rise Laporta has watched from the stands pdf view.

Off the pitch, Barcelona returned to Camp Nou for renovation work in November after a two-and-a-half year absence. Capacity remains limited as work continues and is behind schedule, but the move back has led to a renewed sense of optimism around the team led by German coach Hansi Flick, whose attacking style has won over supporters.

Published on February 9, 2026