Barcelona, March 16 (IANS) Joan Laporta will continue as president of the Spanish football club Barcelona after securing a landslide victory in the club’s presidential elections.

Winning just over 68% of the vote, he will begin his second consecutive term and fourth overall from July 1, the La Liga club announced on Monday. His opponent, Victor Font, got just 30 percent of the votes and lost by a big margin.

The election took place against a backdrop of institutional tension following star player Xavi’s recent claims that Laporta personally blocked Messi’s return to the club in 2023. Despite the turmoil, Laporta was able to win the trust of all the players and reaped the reward by winning the election again.

After the win, he thanked all his supporters and promised a much better future for the club, which is currently sitting at the top of the La Liga 2025-26 points table. “First of all, I want to dedicate a few words of gratitude to this wonderful club we have,” he said in an official statement released by the club.

“It’s great to see that members can still choose who represents us. This passion is a joy; it makes the club special, so thanks to Barca and all the members who voted today in a display of democracy. The result itself is conclusive, and it gives us a lot of strength — so much strength that it will make us unstoppable. We will keep defending Barcelona against everything and everyone. The upcoming years will be thrilling. They will be the best of our lives,” he added.

Barcelona will face a tough challenge on Wednesday when they take on Newcastle United in the second leg of the Champions Trophy round of 16. The first match ended in a 1-1 draw, and now the Catalan side will have to win to advance to the next round of the league.

–IANS

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