In the absence of official confirmation, and according to a photo he distributed through his social networks, the candidate Joan Laporta, former president between 2003 and 2010, will present in a while 10,257 signatures of partners in the Barcelona offices. A very high number in the pandemic conditions in which the process of collecting support from partners has been developed and that makes him the main favorite to be the next president of Barça on January 24 if the pandemic finally allows the elections to be held.
Laporta needs 2,257 signatures to be validated to be an official candidate. Surely, and symbolically, he wanted to present a round number. Exactly eight thousand signatures more than required that allow him to be on pole in the final race and that make him the great candidate to be the president of Barça again. The Estimem Barça candidacy is euphoric and convinced that Laporta will make the predictions count and will have no rival in Víctor Font, Freixa or Emili Rousaud, the other candidates who, theoretically, will pass the signature cut.
Laporta gets more than hopeful numbers: “You have to vote now”
The former president of Barcelona is running for these new elections with significant support from the partners, the 10,257 signatures that it has achieved endorse it. This figure exceeds the one obtained in the 2015 elections, when he achieved 4,807, and is even above the winner of those elections, Josep María Bartomeu, that managed to agglutinate 9,093 signatures. In fact, Laporta's first step to preside over Barcelona is more positive than that achieved under the candidacy First, the Barça in 2003: he collected 5,725 signatures that later promoted him to the presidency of the Barça club.
“Barça could not be more misgoverned,” said the former president between 2003 and 2010, “excited” by the 10,257 signatures. Now he asks for a second effort: “Now I need to be made president.” Joan Laporta spoke to the media after delivering 10,257 member signatures, 8,000 more than required, at the Barça offices.
The number of signatures: “We have played the first phase of the match focused on getting the largest number of signatures and we don't think about whether we are favorites or not. But we are going with winning morale and now we want to translate it into votes to be partners for another two. Now it depends on the second part , of the campaign. I hope to be a candidate and discuss the programs with the rest of the candidate. And now what I need is to be made president because of the experience, the preparation and the determination to restore the illusion to Barcelona. We are with winning morale but here there is no favorite and the history of the elections proves it. “
The date: “They have to be held. The voting venues have been set and it is perfectly acceptable. It must be said that it would not make sense for the vote to be suspended. Our candidacy is in favor of voting; Barça cannot be ungoverned any longer, without a president and without a Board. And it would be strange if the Barça elections were suspended “.
Emotion: “I am very grateful to all those who have helped us. To our campaign team, to the volunteers … They are the ones who have known how to mobilize the Barça members to give us their signature. Now we will count the numbers. 10,257 signatures but we are convinced that we will be candidates. I thank the partners who have signed us in the middle of COVID. It is exciting that they have mobilized to support our candidacy. “
Messi: “I haven't checked the signatures, I don't know if I have Messi's. You have to ask him”
Font, with 4,710 signatures, is presented as the alternative to Laporta
Víctor Font will be the second of the candidates with the most signatures of support for the elections. In fact, it has already announced that it will be presented this afternoon at the club's offices with a quantity more than enough to pass the cut of 2,257 signatures required. Font will attend at 8:00 p.m., accompanied by several members of his still pre-candidacy, to deliver a total of 4,710 signatures, that is, 2,453 more than planned.
These figures would be spectacular in any context, but they are totally eclipsed by the massive support that Joan Laporta has received, with a total of 10,257 signatures. If until now in all the polls the former president was the top favorite, with this social support he reaffirms his status as the top candidate, unlike the rest.
In any case, Font's signature collection campaign can be considered an absolute success, since it has managed to gather a number very similar to those achieved by Laporta in 2015, with the difference that the candidate is not as well known by the social mass like the former president.
Those who have already made it very clear that they will not pass the signature cut are Agustí Benedito, Pere Riera, Xavi Vilajoana, Lluis Fernández Alá and Joan Farré. Everything, except for Benedito, are planning to go through offices to deliver them to the club and have them validated. For his part, Benedito has excused his presence, claiming, in a crude way, the municipal confinement in order not to make them effective.