Barcelona groups demand Laporta’s resignation – all reasons listed | OneFootball

The tumultuous situation surrounding FC Barcelona’s inability to register key players Dani Olmo and Pau Victor for the second half of the season has escalated.

Barcelona have faced setbacks one after the other, in their bid to register these two individuals, ultimately leading to pressure on club president Joan Laporta.

This failure not only marks a significant sporting setback but also reflects the deeper financial and administrative woes plaguing the club.

A call for a leadership change

The situation has deteriorated to a point where a coalition of influential Barcelona fan groups and opposition platforms have taken an unprecedented step by issuing a joint statement demanding Laporta’s immediate resignation.

This collective includes Compromissaris FCB, Dignitat Blaugrana, El Senyor Ramon, Seguiment FCB, La Resistència del Palau, Sí al Futur, Suma Barça, Som un Clam, Transparència Blaugrana, and Un Crit Valent.

All of them are influential fan groups, who hold great sway over the broader local fanbase of FC Barcelona.

They argue that a new era with fresh management approaches is essential to revitalize the club, which they believe is currently suffering from mismanagement at the highest levels.

In a heartfelt call, these groups have urged President Joan Laporta to resign, invoking his own campaign promise, ‘Estimem el Barça’.

They’re asking him to either step down or allow the members to vote on his leadership through a confidence vote.

They see the drastic step of a censure motion as their last option if change doesn’t come, knowing well it would be tough on the club but necessary to give the members a say.

Reasons behind calls for resignation

As mentioned earlier, the primary catalyst for this demand has been the club’s failure to register Dani Olmo and Pau Victor.

These groups have described this situation as “negligence” in managing player contracts within La Liga’s stringent financial fair play rules.

The groups have also criticized Darren Dein’s involvement in the renewal of the club’s agreement with Nike, questioning the transparency and the high commission involved.

There’s also significant discontent over how the board approved the 2023-24 accounts without recognizing ordinary losses, essentially not following the auditor’s criteria.

This has raised serious questions about the financial integrity and transparency of Laporta’s administration.

Finally, the group highlighted an ‘evident social crisis’ within the group, arguing that continuous mismanagement and living on the financial edge have led to irreparable damage to Barcelona’s image and reputation.

The clock is ticking for Joan Laporta (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

They warn that the club is at a point of no return, which could see long-lasting negative impacts if changes aren’t made.

So what’s next?

Amid growing pressure over his resignation, Laporta’s first course of action will be to register Olmo and Victor as soon as possible.

The club are expected to appeal to the Higher Council for Sports (CSD) for a precautionary measure and are even confident of receiving a green light.

Once Olmo and Victor receive the precautionary measure, Laporta must work on securing exits of unwanted stars next summer – a measure that could be imperative if Barcelona are to bring back sanity in their balance sheet.

The management must take some difficult calls and that could include the sale of renowned stars such as Frenkie de Jong, Ronald Araujo and even Andreas Christensen.

On the flip side, things could go further south for Laporta if the CSD denies Barcelona the precautionary measure. The club’s last resort will be to reach out to the ordinary courts.

Barcelona management has until the month of January to ensure the re-registration of Olmo and Victor, before these stars eventually activate the option of becoming a free agent and joining other clubs.