In a striking gesture executed less than a day after his formal resignation, former FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta made an unexpected appearance within the confines of the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper. This visit, occurring at a moment of heightened sensitivity within the Catalan club’s corridors, carried significant symbolic weight.
Despite his official departure from the presidency, Laporta deliberately convened with the first-team players and German head coach Hansi Flick, alongside sporting director Deco. This move, transcending temporary administrative calculations, reflected a clear intent to convey a message of direct support to both the dressing room and the technical staff.
The visit, undertaken in the company of Enric Masip, a key confidant during Laporta’s most recent presidential tenure, unfolded in an exceptional context. Adopting the capacity of a “former president,” Laporta limited his interaction to exchanging greetings and brief conversations with the squad members, deliberately avoiding any formal overtones and thereby imbuing the scene with a notably symbolic character.
A Calculated Move in a Transitional Phase
This maneuver follows by a mere 24 hours Laporta’s resignation, which was submitted alongside that of 9 members of his board of directors. This collective step adheres to the club’s statutes, which mandate that individuals seeking candidacy in the upcoming elections must first relinquish their official positions.
The impending electoral process, scheduled for 15 March, now sets the stage for a new chapter at the club. Laporta’s surprise appearance is widely interpreted as a tactical effort to maintain a thread of communication with the team during this transitional period. It serves as an implicit, yet potent, signal underscoring his enduring presence in the club’s ecosystem, mere weeks before Barcelona enters a new electoral phase that promises to reshuffle the internal dynamics.