Barcelona chief Laporta's open letter: "Barca is definitely on the right track"

In his third year at the helm of Barcelona in his second spell at the club, Joan Laporta wanted to send an open letter to all Barcelona fans, to which 'Sport' has had access. In it, the president reviews the current situation of the club to make a brief scan of all the sections that affect the entity. He recognises a clear improvement in the economic situation compared to the critical state when he became president and calls for unity to overcome other competitors associated with "states".

"The board of directors, which I have the honour of chairing, is very proud of the work that has been done. Without a doubt, Barca is on the right track, the institution is strong, the club is well organised and we can affirm that, with talent, courage, audacity and professionalism, the club has been straightened out and recovered. A sum of many employees' efforts following a weekly reviewed strategic plan of various departments. Without them, the 'miracle' of saving the club would not have been possible," Laporta began his message.

He recalled what the situation was like, so complicated, when he became president: "The club's funds were negative and the debt was huge. There was a clear undervaluation of the Espai Barca project. A private company would have gone into technical bankruptcy. We did not shrink from such a threat and we took courageous decisions with unrenounceable premises: that the cost of the economic recovery would not be assumed by the members so that the ownership model of the club would not be put at risk".

An upward economic trend that Laporta summarises as follows: "A clear improvement in income, a reduction in the sporting wage bill, which has gone from representing 98% of total income in 2020-21 to 57% in the current season. A more than sustainable figure, as we are in the lower zone of the percentage recommended by UEFA. The value of the squad has increased exponentially in a firm commitment to the talent worked on in La Masia, the basis of the sporting project for the coming years".

 

March 7, 2024

"More and more partners and investors want to be associated with Barca, but always respecting our identity as a Catalan club open to the world, with inalienable values and a model of ownership that our Board of Directors defends to the hilt because we believe that uniqueness gives us economic, social and institutional strength", added the president of Barca in his speech.

"Barça is an indomitable, invincible feeling. I ask you to remain more united than ever in the defence of our crest, our values and our teams. We have many objectives to achieve. Barca is the current champion of the 6 leagues in which our professional teams compete (men's and women's football, basketball, handball, hockey and futsal), an unprecedented achievement in the club's history. Here we fight to the end. We can win or lose, that's part of sport, but we never throw in the towel. We have to close ranks because we don't want to have either powerful states behind us or millionaires trying to control the club," he concluded.