Joan Laporta I Estruch was born with Barcelona on June 29th, 1962. Lawyer of formation, it is elected president of FC Barcelona on June 15th, 2003 with 52,6% of the votes.

Elefant Blau

Joan Laporta appears in the history of FC Barcelona in 1998 when he becomes spokesperson of the group of opposition “Elefant Blau” which launches a motion of censure against the president José-Shine Nunez. Among its allies of the time appear Johan Cruyff, of which he is the lawyer, but also Lluis Bassat, an advertizing executive inhabitant of Barcelona.

The year 2000 is remembered by the resignation of José-Shine Nunez and thus, by the organization of new elections. Lluis Bassat takes the chief candidate of opposition resulting from Elefant Blau on which figure Joan Laporta , but it is finally Joan Gaspart, the nearest vice-president to Nunez, which is elected. The socios chose continuity.

Elections of 2003

The catastrophic management of Gaspart, as well on the financial plan with the explosion of the debt of the club, as on the sporting level with the absence of titles causes a starting series to the head of the club. At the beginning of 2003, the situation becomes such as Joan Gaspart must resign and open the way with new elections.

During the electoral campaign, Lluis Bassat has the appearance of a big favorite, but its speech is less radical than 3 years before. Johan Cruyff refuses to be implied, preferring to remain neutral, but suggests that former players of the Dream-TEAM make party of the projects of the candidates. At once, Pep Guardiola joined the list of Shine Bassat, and Txiki Begiristain that of Joan Laporta . This last keeps the same reforming policy and passes from the role of outsider to that of large winner. The river result of 52,6%, and a record participation reflect the major will of 3 years change of the socios tired of catastrophic management.

Season 2003-2004: difficult beginnings

The team of Joan Laporta is made up of young fortunate inhabitants of Barcelona having succeeded in the businesses. Sandro Rosell becomes the n°2 club, Ferran Soriano deals with finances, Marc Inglia, marketing and Txiki Begiristain, the technical secretariat.

On the plan footballistic, the arrival of David Beckham, however promised by Laporta during the program is a fiasco, the English preferring to sign with the Real Madrid. The things thus start badly for the new team, but Sandro Rosell kept an excellent notebook D `addresses of its passage at Nike, and it is finally Ronaldinho which joined the club in this summer 2003. On the councils of Johan Cruyff, Frank Rijkaard is named trainer, but during the first months, the team seeks itself, the results are bad, and the Real Madrid has already 15 points in advance.

At the beginning of 2004, the direction of the club is divided between the pro Rijkaard and the anti Rijkaard, and the relationships to the violent fringe of the supporteurs, “Boixos Nois” are tended (hostile death threats, graffiti on the house of Joan Laporta … etc). The president chooses to keep the line which it had set, it continues his fight against violence in the stage, and maintains his confidence with Frank Rijkaard. The Netherlander then modifies his system of play and the results change whole with the whole, the team becomes a machine to be gained and Barça finishes the championship in the second place, behind Valence, but in front of the Real Madrid.

Season 2004-2005: dedication

Extremely of its excellent second place, Barça finds the Ligue of the champions and aims at the title. Frank Rijkaard maintains a very offensive system, based on a very high steam pressing, and recruits players of world class like Deco, Samuel Eto' O, Ludovic Giuly or Henrik Larsson. The results are excellent, and the club easily gains its 17th championship of Spain. Only elimination in 8th of finale of the Ligue of the champions against Chelsea leaves regrets.

In the slides of the club however, nothing goes any more. The relations between Sandro Rosell (which allowed the arrivals of Deco and Ronaldinho) and the trainer Frank Rijkaard worsened since the beginning 2004. Dutch openly reproaches him for having wanted to dismiss it when the team functioned badly. The clan of the Rosellistes denounces in return the too great influence of Johan Cruyff on Joan Laporta and reproaches the president of the club for adapting in a too personal way the good performances of the club. Less than one month after this title awaited since 6 years, Sandro Rosell snap the door, and the popularity of Joan Laporta is with lowest.

Season 2005-2006: objective League of the champions

The summer 2005 is very calm, manpower remains practically unchanged with the only arrivals of Mark van Bommel and Santi Ezquerro. But at the beginning of championship, the team connects average results. According to old a addage of Johan Cruyff: one should not hesitate to touch with the crowned cows… , Frank Rijkaard draws aside Ronaldinho and Deco, the stars of the team. The effect is immediate, this yell gives again aggressiveness with the two upset high-speed motorboats which start again Barça and give to the club its 18th Liga. In League of the champions, Barça takes its revenge on Chelsea and gains a historical victory 2-1 (goals of Eto' O and Belletti) against Arsenal, the May 17th 2006 with Paris.

The popularity of Joan Laporta , already seriously started by its rupture with Sandro Rosell, still will take a blow with the episode Alejandro Echevarria. The charismatic president of Barça names at the beginning of the season 2005 his brother-in-law with a management position of the club for stage with the departures of the Rosellistes . A few days later, one learns (thanks to documents of old directing Gaspart era…) that Alejandro Echevarria is a member of Fundación Francisco Franco. In spite of the evidence, Joan Laporta refuses the obviousness and supports costs which his/her brother-in-law until the resignation of this last costs the October 20th 2005.

From this episode, the strategy of Joan Laporta changes, it ceases being ultra present in the media and walls in an institutional silence . The fact of being constantly on the front of the scene gave birth to from rancours within the executive team and the scission of the Rosellistes . In the same way, the socios do not let their president name no matter whom at stations - keys of the flow chart of the Catalan club.

To enclose this season, Sandro Rosell publishes in April 2006 one entitled book " Welcome in the world réel" in which it attack on the president of Barça, his ex-companion of road. He fustigates inter alia, the lack of courage of Joan Laporta , his tender with Cruyff, and the incompetence of people of which he is surrounded, in the forefront of which the sport director Txiki Begiristain.

Season 2006-2007: 9 days of too?

Contrary to the former season, the club is active on the market of the transfers with the signatures of Eidur Gudjohnsen, Lilian Thuram and Gianluca Zambrotta, and the departure of some players of which Henrik Larsson, Gabri and the Damià young person.

But the business of the summer 2006 in Barça remains the problem of the organization of the elections: in 2003, the team of Joan Laporta officially took her functions for 4 seasons on June 22nd. However, the closing date of season 2002/2003 was at June 30th. Certain opponents thus consider that the mandate of the executive team started at the time of season 2002/2003, and thus that the elections must proceed at the end of the season 2006. After a series of debates and contradictory interpretations of the statutes of the club, on July 19th, 2006, the Catalan Court of the Sports gives reason to the opponents and requires that the direction convene elections immediately. More serious, these 9 small days failed to make ineligible the current president for nonrespect of the statutes of the club!!!

July 26th, the direction of the club resigns to leave the place to an agency fee in responsibility of organize the new elections.

Elections of 2006: only candidate!

The agency fee chaired by Xavier Sala fixed the date of the elections at September 3rd, 2006. But once the doubt about the ineligibility of Joan Laporta and its team raised by the Catalan Court of the Sports, the usual applicants hustle themselves with the wicket… nobody does not imagine to gain vis-a-vis the president who rectified the club in also little time.

Sandro Rosell (the most credible opponent which allowed the recruits of Ronaldinho and Deco of the time of their friendship …) prefer to abstain from and blow the name of Josep Maria Bartomeu (one of the outgoing members of 2005). Shine Bassat, of dimensioned sound, thinks that it is logical that Laporta remains with the head of the club… With final, no heavy truck of the barcelonist medium is in string, and of the five précandidats only Joan Laporta successful to collect the 1804 signatures of socios necessary to the officialization of the candidature (it approached even the 9000 signatures against 1600 with his more serious rival…).

The August 22nd 2006 the former president finds only candidate and is proclaimed new president of FC Barcelona.

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