da pixbet： Barcelona president Joan Laporta has been accused of choosing Real Madrid counterpart Florentino Perez over club legend Lionel Messi.
Laporta's Barcelona tenure criticisedPresident failed to renew Messi's contractRemains committed to European Super League planWHAT HAPPENED?
da dobrowin： Victor Font, who was Laporta's main rival at the club's last presidential elections in 2021, has hit out at the club chief and his current tenure. Laporta famously failed to renew Messi's contract which led to the club legend's shock departure from Barcelona in 2021, and eventual move to Paris Saint-Germain. Font has claimed that Laporta could have been able to afford to renew Messi's contract if he had taken the offer of a financial injection from La Liga president Javier Tebas's CVC deal, but opted to side with Real Madrid and Florentino Perez and bet on the creation of a European Super League instead.
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Victor Font told Catalunya Radio: "The Board of Directors arrived at a critical moment and with a disastrous legacy. And the alternative it put forward was not a viability plan, nor an income plan. Nor did it put the ball on the ground.
"The bet was the Super League. During the afternoon of the 2021 Copa del Rey final, the documents of the Super League were signed. It's a gamble to get water into the tank. And then came one more fork. Tebas offered CVC as a short-term salvation.
"The club had to choose between Messi and Florentino, and they chose Florentino. And Florentino's most trusted person was the one who advised Barca on the issue of levers.
"the club demonized CVC. And it's true that I didn't see it clearly. But the surprising thing is that [Laporta] then signed with Sixth Street, which offered better conditions but was a similar operation. And Anas Laghrari, Florentino's right-hand man, is the one who advised Barca. I don't like it."
GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
A tearful Messi ended up moving away from the Camp Nou, with Laporta subsequently trying and failing to bring the superstar back after his time with PSG ended. Messi has admitted he wanted to return but didn't want to go through another saga due to the club's ongoing financial issues and signed for Inter Miami in MLS instead. Laporta has gone on to activate a series of financial 'levers' which has allowed Barca to bring in stars such as Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde, but the club's financial difficulties have continued.
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR LAPORTA
Perez and Laporta are still pushing for the European Super League, with Barca and Real Madrid the only two clubs who remain committed to the breakaway competition. Laporta will stay in his role as Barcelona president until 2026, when the next set of elections are due to be held.