Reporter: Mr. Laporta, what do you think of the interview that Xavi gave? He was harsh with you.. Did his style surprise you?

Joan Laporta: “Yes, it did surprise me, and the truth is it hurt me.. When I saw Xavi's statements, I thought of Flick, and I thought about how difficult it is to be president of FC Barcelona, because you have to make tough decisions for the good of the club, like the decision to dismiss Xavi. But I believe that the facts that happened give me peace of mind, because I did what needed to be done. I saw that we would continue to lose with Xavi, while with a new coach like Flick, we can return to winning. I understand that Xavi might be hurting, because Flick achieved victories with the same players that Xavi was defeated alongside.. I understand his feeling about that. Laporta: But what pains me is that he allowed himself to be used, and in seeking to harm me, he attacked someone from my inner circle, Alejandro Echevarría, and that bothers me.

Laporta: “Echevarría and Yuste were among the staunchest defenders of Xavi's continuation until the moment when defending him was still possible. There is a desire to poison the atmosphere and stir up controversy. I believe that what happened is also linked to Mr. Victor Font, who stands behind Xavi and is trying to undermine this electoral process. He has no issue with a new member appearing in the club and joining for just one day, then filing a lawsuit the next day filled with false accusations and claims. After that, Mr. Font goes to the media and tries to lend credibility to these lies. This is a method that does not impress me, and I am convinced it does not impress Barcelona fans either.”

Reporter: Thousands of Barcelona fans woke up disappointed after this controversy that happened. What do you think, Mr. Font?

Victor Font: “The truth is that thousands of the club's fans woke up sad. Sad because seeing the club's legends, and not just Xavi in this situation is painful. Xavi did something that reflects his love for the club and his courage, a truth that many of those who left the club dare not say or cannot say, because the "you're either with me or against me" culture makes it extremely difficult. And he was quickly responded to by Messi as well. I believe there are thousands of Barcelona fans who feel sadness because of this situation. A Barcelona where some have turned against the others, and a club that's being run away from the truth and in a way based on lies.”

Font: “The thing that everyone knows and is no secret is that the son-in-law of the former president wields influence equal to or perhaps exceeding that of the president himself, even though no one elected him, nor does he hold any executive position. Moreover, his ideological stances have no relation to the founding values of the club. I believe this situation saddens everyone, and for that reason we are so convinced that next Sunday there will be a social majority that will say: ‘let's turn the page and let's all start working together.’

Reporter: How do you respond to what has been said regarding the filed complaint and the accusations leveled against your administration?

Joan Laporta: “Everything the newspapers are saying about the lawsuit filed by that individual, which is a false complaint filled with lies. It Aligns perfectly with every point that Font uses to try to tarnish our administration, which has lasted five years. There is one thing that is very clear. The club's fans are satisfied. At this moment, Víctor Font is living in a different reality. In 2021, the club's members chose who would lead our future, and that has already been done. Today, our fans are happy because, after we were in a situation where the stadium was old and dilapidated, the team wasn't winning, and the club was bankrupt, the situati on is different now. Thanks to the trust that the members placed in us and thanks to the institutional stability over these five years, we now have a new stadium, we have a very strong team, and the club has recovered economically.”

Laporta: “The criticism’s on Alejandro Echevarría? Regarding what was said about Echevarría, he is someone who has my complete trust, especially in matters related to the Spanish League and the Royal Spanish Football Federation. He is a person who works for the stability of the dressing room, because he has an excellent relationship with the team, and this benefits me greatly, as he is also progressing very well, and that's why we see the harmony that exists inside the dressing room. In addition, he is a smart, honest, and brave person, and he has a great ability to solve the problems that arise during the club's management.”

Font: “The clubs current sporting situation? It's clear that the team and all of us as fans are extremely excited about this group of players coming from the club's academy. This is part of the legacy inherited by the current management, because eighty percent of this team's value was already in place beforehand, and it's not a direct result of this board's management. And of course, there was the successful decision to appoint coach Flick, who made this project work and turn into a reality. We're all excited and happy, but we still need that extra step to reach the goal we must achieve, which is winning the Champions League. We must also prevent Real Madrid from winning it, because they won two titles during this period while we didn't win any. But if we do things right, we will be able to achieve this step.”

Reporter: Mr. Font says that the current success is largely due to a previous legacy especially in the women's team, and that the current management is not handling the resources properly. What is your response?

Laporta: “Mr. Font denies the facts. Until now, he was talking about the women's team. Look, in the last five years, the women's team has won three Champions League titles. We also won individual awards, as the last five editions of the Ballon d'Or went to players from Barcelona: Putellas won it twice, and Aitana Bonmatí three times. And that's not all, as our other sports teams have achieved nearly everything. There is also the great emotional bond between these teams and the fans in the stands, and the whole world speaks positively about Barcelona Women, which strengthens the club as an institution.”

Laporta: “When Mr. Font offers his interpretations, it seems as though all of that happened spontaneously or that it was just an inheritance. But the truth is that the inheritance we received was very bad, especially from an economic standpoint, as the club was in a position close to bankruptcy.”

Laporta: “Yes, we had to cut the basketball team's budget. Why? Because we inherited an extremely difficult economic situation. Therefore, we focused all our efforts on building a competitive first-team for football. And this was achieved thanks to the work done, especially over the last two years under Deco’s leadership since he took over, in addition to the technical staff led by coach Flick on the bench.”

Victor Font: “The failure to manage the club's economic potential puts the near future at risk. There are six players who do not know whether they will be able to renew their contracts or not, and the coach himself does not know if his contract will be renewed. Because we do not have clean financial leeway, and we have not yet reached the one-to-one rule. The former president [Laporta] said two years ago that we do not want to reach that point, but perhaps we do want it now, because that would allow us to do the things that need to be done. The issue is not only about renewing the stars' contracts, but also about exploiting the opportunities available in the transfer market, opportunities that we cannot currently take advantage of. On the other hand, we see money being spent on other matters unrelated to the sporting side, such as paying commissions outside the market framework.”

Laporta: “Regarding the Messi issue, what we propose is erecting a statue for him like the one existing for Cruyff, and also organizing a tribute match for him when the stadium construction is completed, which I believe will be magnificent with around 105,000 spectators in attendance.”

Laporta: “But I emphasize that the sports project we are presenting — and if the members grant us their trust, it will continue — is based on Hansi Flick remaining on the coaching bench and Deco in sports management. We have a very competitive team that brings together players from the club's youth academy and players brought in from outside, and this formula works extremely well. And I believe it's good for this project to continue. As for if Mr. Font comes in, I think that would be the greatest danger to this sports project. Because he has already said that he would dismiss Deco and replace him with three people to do the work of one person. We don't know who the coach would be, because Hansi Flick said that if Deco leaves, he won't feel comfortable and might not want to continue. Therefore, we are ensuring the continuity of the sports project.”

Laporta: “In the interview itself, Xavi himself stated the reasons that forced me to dismiss him. The reason was that he had relaxed a bit and was no longer able to balance his professional life as Barcelona's coach with his family life. He also made statements in which he said that Barcelona would not be competitive for two years against Real Madrid and against European teams. After that, I called him and told him that this was not what we had agreed upon. He said that his statements had been misunderstood. But after four or five days, he requested changes to some players, and at that point I decided that he could not continue.”

Reporter: Can we know the players that Xavi asked to be replaced?

Joan Laporta: “They were important players. It seemed that after everything that happened during the season, he wasn't entirely satisfied with the team. I saw that myself, because I was talking to him after the matches. He was always dissatisfied with the lineup, and also dissatisfied with the refereeing — which happens sometimes and we complain about it as Barcelona fans. But he continuously felt that the team wasn't competitive.“

Reporter: What happened with Messi?

Joan Laporta: “When we couldn't renew Messi's contract, the reason was purely economic, because we weren't able to fit his contract into the club's budget due to the difficult financial situation at that time. In 2023, Xavi came to me and said he had spoken with Messi and that the player wanted to return. He asked me to prepare the contract to send it to Jorge Messi, and that was around mid-March. But in May, Jorge Messi came and told me that the return wouldn't be possible, and that they preferred to go to Inter Miami.

So I told them that I completely respect their decision, because in the end, it's their decision.”

Reporter: There’s a debate about who’s telling the truth in the case of Messi’s return to Barcelona.

Victor Font: “In the end, it’s a matter of credibility. Do we believe the club legends who have proven through their history that they love this institution and gave everything they had for it? Leo Messi sees things exactly as Xavi explained in detail. Or will we believe a former president with a long list of unfulfilled promises, lies, and deceit—something we should avoid once and for all? The topic is about credibility, and Messi will one day come out to explain what happened. But I believe the club members are smart and realise the truth.”

Font: “Cutting ties with the greatest player in the club's history, especially when it's due to personal interests rather than putting the institution's interests first — and opening a wound among thousands and thousands of Barcelona fans. Then trying to close that wound by saying we'll hold a tribute match for him or a statue... This is one of the most regrettable things the club has experienced in recent years. The wound felt by many Barcelona fans is an emotional one in the heart. And if the greatest player in history had remained tied to the club without the relationship being severed, Barcelona today would be much greater.”

Font: “I remember five years ago when the former president [Laporta] said:

"Only if I win the election will Messi stay in the club, but if any other candidate wins, he won't stay. This was a LIE. Because the only person who had no plan to renew Messi's contract was the former president himself, due to his improvised management style.”

Font: “We must remember that this club does not belong to one person. Barcelona is not one president. Barcelona is 150,000 members and millions of fans who carry the club in their hearts. And everyone suffered when they saw the best player in history crying bitterly in August 2021 and leaving the club through the back door of the Camp Nou stadium.”

Font: “Severing ties with the best player in history, and spending the entire term in alliance with Florentino Pérez, are two marks of shame in this term. And that's why many members say: Let's turn the page, let's rebuild Barca together, and let's finally end the idea of "good Barca and bad Barca. The former president distributes cards of who is a "good Barcelona fan" and who is a "bad Barcelona fan." Now Xavi and Messi have become bad Barcelona fans! And even a member like Mr. Font has become a "bad Barcelona fan."

Laporta: “First, the one who is lying is YOU. You are lying. Because I did not say that Messi would stay in the club, nor did I confirm that, because the matter depended on certain conditions. You are the one who lies systematically over these years. You said that we would transform the club into a public limited company, and that did not happen. I have repeated time and again that this was just a lie.”

Laporta: “Moreover, you are lying now when you say that I distribute "cards" for who is a good Barcelona fan and who is a bad Barcelona fan. I did not say that Xavi is a bad Barcelona fan, nor that Messi is a bad Barcelona fan, nor even that you are a bad Barcelona fan.”

Font: “Barcelona should not be in the hands of people who believe there are "good Catalans and bad Catalans. Nor should it be in the hands of people who believe they are not obligated to explain things to club members, or who do not want the club to be a participatory institution.”

Laporta: “Let us see the matter clearly: If you want to change everything we have done at Barcelona, what exactly will you change? Will you change this team? Will you change the current project? Will you change the new stadium? Will you change the signings? What will you change in Deco’s work? If you want, I can explain it to you.”

Laporta: “While you are carrying out your campaigns and moving here and there, I have spent the time explaining to the members what we have done at the club. You are constantly trying to mock what we are doing. The problem is that you can't do that, because you act with a kind of elitism. Your environment isn't here with the people, but behind a computer screen.

Victor Font: “On the 15th, we have a historic opportunity. It's about choosing the Barça we want for the coming years. We have to let go of the “isms”. Do we want a Barça of transparency or one for tourists? Do we want a divided Grada or a Barça of the penyas?"

Laporta responds: “5 years ago we found an old stadium and a team that wasn't winning, a club in ruins. You gave us the responsibility and now we have a new stadium, a great team and a healthy club. We said we would bring back the excitement to Barça. We will experience the best years of our lives."

🎙️| Victor Font continues...

🗣️: "The sporting situation isn't only limited to Football. We have the basketball section cut off, and in the women's team, six players are leaving and they don't know if they will continue."

🎙️| Joan Laporta responds....

🗣️: "The financial legacy we inherited was terrible. Now we have handball, hockey, and indoor football teams that have competed, and we have reduced the budget for basketball because we prioritize the first team."

🎙️| Victor Font on the deal with Libero for Barca Vision...

🗣️: "Why did we sell Barça Vision to Líbero? Now to Aramark, which makes frankfurters. The business is generating zero revenue and has enormous potential. We've wasted five years."

🎙️| Victor Font continues...

🗣️: "Speaking of lies, there are thousands and thousands of members who do not understand that to act as a mediator for a friend of his, he is paid 50 million to act as a mediator in the Nike contract. If the best mediation agency charges half a million or 750,000 euros, why have we given away those millions? If Barça only pays 25, as the former president says, we have given away 24."

🎙️| Laporta responds...

🗣️: "That's a lie. Barça didn't pay Darren Dein £50 million, which is divided between 1.65% for Barça and 1.35% for Nike. He came in because relations between Barça and Nike were broken. We were fighting in court. He knows that Nike's contracts. Darren Dein brought the Puma contract to put pressure on them. And now we have the best contract ever. Nike had 28 million from Barça. There was an offer from Puma that was above market value. We secured the best sports equipment contract in history. This will be paid off in 14 years."

🎙️| Victor Font continues...

🗣️: "Barça has wasted having a professional structure over the years, including in the other sections. We worked on a new Palau. Now they're presenting us with a Palau that couldn't host NBA games."

🎙️| Joan Laporta responds....

🗣️: "What he's saying is complicating things. He hasn't said who will be the coach for basketball, handball, indoor football... This is just jumping on the bandwagon."