Joan Laporta, a candidate for the FC Barcelona presidency, made his views clear during an electoral debate organized by Grupo Godo in response to Xavi Hernández’s recent comments in an interview with La Vanguardia.
Xavi, a former midfielder and manager, launched a fierce criticism of Laporta, accusing him of derailing Lionel Messi’s potential return in 2023. He also claimed that Laporta’s close associate, Alejandro Echevarria, is running things at the club.
Response from Laporta
During the debate, Laporta expressed his disappointment with Xavi’s remarks, affirming his decision to part ways with the former manager.
“I was surprised and hurt. When I hear Xavi’s comments, I think of Flick. Being the president of Barça is challenging, and tough decisions must be made. I did what I had to do,” Laporta stated.
He elaborated, “With Xavi, I sensed loss, and with Flick, I see victory. I understand his feelings; with the same players, Xavi was losing while Flick is winning.”
Laporta further suggested that Xavi was being influenced by rival presidential candidate, Victor Font.
“It pains me that he allowed himself to be manipulated and that he criticized Alejandro Echevarria to attack me. Echevarria and Yuste supported Xavi’s continuity until the very end,” he expressed.
Laporta responded to Xavi’s criticisms. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
“There is someone behind Xavi who is using him, and that is Víctor Font. He is attempting to create doubt. The complaint from a member also benefited him, adding to his credibility,” Laporta noted.
Reaffirming his position, Laporta stated: “These are the three most difficult decisions I have ever faced: with Messi, Koeman, and Xavi. I made these decisions keeping Barça’s interests in mind. They are legends of this club.”
“FC Barcelona cannot be managed with a mere algorithm; it requires passion. Barça is more important than any individual player or president.”
Addressing Xavi’s comments regarding his dismissal, Laporta emphasized: “Xavi explained in the interview why I let him go. He became complacent and struggled to balance his professional and personal life.”
“He claimed Barça wouldn’t compete with Real Madrid and asked to replace players, which led me to conclude that he couldn’t continue. He viewed key players in the squad as not competitive, and that dissatisfaction persisted,” Laporta added.
On the subject of Messi, he further stated: “It was similarly complicated with Messi: when we couldn’t renew his contract for financial reasons, he indicated to me in 2023 that he wanted to come back.”
“I presented a contract to Jorge Messi, who later visited me and expressed concerns about the ‘pressure’ he would face here.”
Source: Mundo Deportivo