The race to become the next president of Barcelona has narrowed down to just four candidates, with Joan Laporta leading the way with more support than his three rivals put together.
Monday marked the deadline for the nine presidential hopes to submit the nominations received from club members, with 2,257 needed to make polling day Jan. 24.
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Laporta, who was president of Barca between 2003 and 2010, led the way with 10,257 signatures, confirming her tag as the favorite to follow Josep Maria Bartomeu, who resigned in October.
Victor Font submitted 4,710 forms at Camp Nou shortly after Laporta and is expected to be the closest opponent when club members vote in the election later this month.
Former board member Toni Freixa (2,821 signatures) and vice president Emili Rousaud (2,510) also made the cut.
The signatures must now be confirmed and Barca will confirm Thursday if all four candidates have been able to present the 2,257 signatures required to stand for election.
Jordi Farre, who pledged free pizzas in exchange for signatures, Xavi Vilajoana, Lluis Fernandez Ala, Agusti Benedito and Pere Riera all failed to gather enough support.
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Laporta’s first spell as President of Barca in Catalonia is fondly remembered. He was in charge of Pep Guardiola ‘s recruitment, Lionel Messi’ s promotion to the first team and the six – cup calendar year in 2009.
He told ESPN in December that his “trust” with Messi gives him the advantage over the other candidates when it comes to persuading him to sign his contract at the club. extended beyond the end of June.
Messi’s future will be one of the main points of controversy between now and polling day, with Font also telling ESPN that he is confident he can convince the Argentine to stay put.
However, Font ‘s hopes are also promising to bring back midfielder Xavi Hernandez, first as general manager and later as coach.