The opposition to FC Barcelona's president, Joan Laporta, has requested his resignation along with that of his board of directors through a statement. The document was signed this Sunday by groups and associations linked to the club, including 'Sí al Futur', represented by Víctor Font, and 'Som un Clam', led by Joan Camprubí.
This resignation request comes after the 'Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor cases'. Those who sign the statement indicate that, if resignation does not occur, a vote of confidence should be called for, and ultimately, they do not rule out activating a vote of no confidence.
The statement
The complete statement is as follows:
“The Barça we want. Loving Barça”
Signed by:
FCB Commitment, Blaugrana Dignity, Mr. Ramon, FCB Monitoring, The Resistance of the Palau, Yes to the Future, Barça Together, We are a Roar, Blaugrana Transparency, Brave Shout.
“The Groups, Platforms, and Associations as signatories would like to express, first and foremost, that we would prefer not to have to sign and publish any new Statement. We have already had to issue several in recent years, and it is the lack of response from the current Board of Directors and the failure to take the measures that we have often demanded (inaction that has ultimately led to the situation we find ourselves in today), that motivates us to react once again. We would like the Club to operate in a planned and efficient manner, for management to be excellent, for us to be leaders in many positive initiatives, to anticipate the future, because then, the undersigned collectives would experience a different kind of Barcelonism. However, denying reality, thinking that things can change spontaneously, is not part of a mature associative behavior. If we let go socially, we will end up losing what we love.
We will not go into detail about the chaos we have experienced in recent weeks, which is well known to everyone. In the statement we issued on September 9th, some of the undersigned groups already made reference to it. However, in these past weeks, the list of grievances has further increased significantly with the addition of such relevant events as the failure to follow the auditor's criteria in approving accounts 23/24 to avoid recognizing ordinary losses, the acknowledgment of a commission difficult to understand for a mediation in the renewal of the contract signed with Nike, the attempt to hire a basketball player of dubious integrity using lamentable practices, and the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the new Palau. Additionally, there has been negligence in registering players Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor, waiting until the last moment when the Club had 4 months to do so, also granting rights to companies from countries with whom the Board promised never to do business, ultimately resulting in lost revenue for future exercises. The lack of willingness to engage in dialogue with the Grada d'Animació to resolve a conflict that harms us all is another notable case.
In addition to the blatant electoral violations, cases of proven negligence multiply, and the social crisis is quite evident, which we believe does not contribute anything to publicly reiterating what we all know perfectly well today. We only want to point out that living constantly on the edge causes and provokes a situation where one day the coin may not fall on the side you want, causing irreparable material, economic, and social damage and quite likely a point of no return. In any case, unfortunately, the Club's image and reputation have been severely damaged for a long time.
We appeal to the Barcelona supporters among the current members of the Board of Directors. We appeal to the spirit of the slogan they used to win the last elections, “Estimamos el Barça.” If this expression was/is real and goes beyond words, they will understand and accept that they have to step aside, and therefore:
1. You have to resign to make way for a new stage with new ways of doing and managing, and with people who have those vital energies necessary to give life and vigor to an entity in need of change and professional management. Therefore, we ask you, first and foremost, to resign immediately.
2. Still, even if they do not want to resign because they believe that they should listen to the partners, they can still be subjected to a vote of confidence, there are statutory mechanisms to articulate it, as some of the signatory groups proposed 4 months ago.
3. Third, the lack of response to our previous public proposals/requests leads us to not rule out a final scenario: the activation of a Vote of No Confidence, the only tool that we, as members, have. This option implies a significant effort and wear and tear for both its proponents and the Club itself. That is why we ask you to prioritize your appreciation for Barça above any other consideration.
Now is the time to show true Barcelona spirit.
Long live Barça and long live Catalonia.”