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Rabat – Joan Laporta has secured another term as Barcelona president after winning Sunday’s club election, ensuring he will remain in charge until 2031.
The 63-year-old comfortably defeated his only rival, businessman Victor Font, in a vote that confirmed the support he still enjoys among the club’s members.
Laporta received 68.1 percent of the vote, while Font collected 29.8 percent. More than 48,000 club members took part in the election, with turnout reaching just over 42 percent.
The result allows Laporta to continue the project he started after returning to the presidency in 2021, having previously led Barcelona between 2003 and 2010.
In his victory speech, Laporta said the vote showed confidence in the work the club has been doing in recent years. His leadership has focused heavily on stabilizing Barcelona both on and off the field, with the current sporting structure built around head coach Hansi Flick and sporting director Deco.
Laporta’s win also means the club’s football project will move forward without major changes at the top.
Laporta sacando los prohibidos. 🤣pic.twitter.com/4EivjJDqCF
— -1899- (@_Futbolero_) March 15, 2026
Several first-team players, including Pedri, Raphinha, Gavi, Ronald Araujo, Pau Cubarsi and Dani Olmo, were seen at Camp Nou during the voting process, a visible sign of the squad’s involvement in the day.
While the election dominated the headlines, Barcelona also had important business on the pitch. Earlier that afternoon, the team defeated Sevilla 5-2 in La Liga at Camp Nou.
Barcelona were already 5-1 ahead with around half an hour remaining, which allowed Flick to manage the workload of some key players ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League second-leg clash against Newcastle United. That tie remains largely balanced after the first leg ended 1-1.
Pedri was substituted at halftime in the weekend game, while Eric Garcia remained unused on the bench and Lamine Yamal was only introduced late in the match. Despite the comfortable result, Flick said he still expects more from his players.
“We got the three points, which is important,” the German coach said after the match. “But we still need to play with more conviction and move the ball faster. We have to improve that before the Newcastle game because it will be a big challenge.”
One of the standout performers against Sevilla was Raphinha, who scored a hat-trick. The Brazilian winger had struggled to find his best form in recent matches, so the goals came at the right moment for his morale.
Joao Cancelo also impressed again. The Portuguese defender, who joined on loan earlier in the season, delivered a strong performance at left-back and capped it with a fine goal that completed Barcelona’s scoring.
Camp Nou attendance grows during renovation
Sunday also brought encouraging signs off the pitch at Camp Nou. With renovation work continuing at the stadium, attendance reached 56,483, the largest crowd since construction began in 2023.
The stadium’s capacity has recently been increased to 62,000 during the rebuild, which will eventually expand Camp Nou to around 105,000 seats.
Another positive story from the match was the emergence of young defender Xavi Espart.
The 18-year-old academy player made his first start for the senior team against Sevilla after debuting earlier in the week against Newcastle.
Espart, originally a midfielder, was moved to right-back in the youth teams and has continued in that role. After the match, he described playing at Camp Nou as an unforgettable moment and said he is simply focused on helping the team whenever needed.
With the election settled and the team leading La Liga by four points over Real Madrid with ten matches left, Barcelona now turns its full attention to the decisive Champions League clash against Newcastle.
