Former Barcelona president Joan Laporta has announced his readiness to stand in next year’s elections and has admitted he would love to bring back current Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola as coach.
Laporta’s first mandate between 2003 and 2010 brought huge success to the Catalan club following several years without a trophy and he worked with Guardiola for the final two years of that tenure at Camp Nou.
New elections have been sheduled for next summer and Laporta, who lost to Josep Maria Bartomeu in the 2015 presidential elections, told TV3: “I’m working towards standing [again].
“I have been president and I am very excited about the possibility of being president again. The situation at Barca in 2021 will be dramatic and we will have to revert it. I am working with people I trust, businessmen and other people of prestige.”
Asked about his choice of coach, he said: “What I would like most would be the return of Guardiola, but he is at City at the moment and that is a decision he has to make.
“He’s a point of reference for barcelonismo and many of us who are fans would like him to coach Barca again.”
The club’s former midfielder, Xavi Hernandez, is the first choice of Laporta’s likely presidential rival Victor Font and has expressed his interest in the job in future after turning down an earlier offer to replace Ernesto Valverde in January.
“Xavi lives for football and he should be the one to decide the moment,” Laporta said. “You have to think that in 2021, there will still be players there who were his team-mates and that’s not easy.
“In any case, Xavi is honest and he knows so much about football. He will make the right decision. Sooner or later, he will coach Barca.”
Laporta, now 57, outlined the biggest challenges facing Barcelona ahead of the elections next summer.
“Barca’s problem is financial and also one of image,” he said. “Restructuring is a must. A more efficient management is needed. With ‘Barcagate’ (the recent social media scandal), a lot was hidden.
“We are waiting for an audit. We need precise information to be able to assess, but it’s clear that these things aren’t good for the image of the club.”