The wild and controversial life of Barca President Joan Laporta

Joan Laporta is one of the most successful presidents in the history of FC Barcelona, adored by the fans who, despite the club's current contreversies, continue to trust him as their 'great savior'. Considered by many to be an excellent manager and an ideal figure to counter Florentino Perez, Laporta's biography also includes a good list of controversies and a 'bon vivant' way of life.

Joan Laporta is not enjoying his finest hour at the Catalan club, facing financial uncertainties and possible corruption charges. But this is just one of the many controversies surrounding Laporta – let's take a look back at the bizarre career of one of the most divisive figures in the Spanish league.

Joan Laporta Estruch was born in Barcelona, in 1962. He graduated with a Law degree and immediately launched himself into the business world, where he became very successful. Laporta had enough money and influence to run for office at 'Futbol Club Barcelona'.

During the 90s, Laporta became known among culé fans as the leader of 'Elefant Blau', founded together with Sebastià Roca. They formed a coalition against José Luis Núñez who was president of Barcelona during the 2000-2001 campaign.

Laporta would become president of FC Barcelona in 2003. He presented a very ambitious plan to revolutionize the squad with increased financing. His cabinet formed by young businessmen, Sandro Rossell, and Josep María Bartomeu, would also become future club presidents.

Laporta won those elections with 52.57% of the votes, a total of 27,138, finishing above Lluis Bassat. Laporta thus became, at the age of 41, the fourth youngest president in the history of FC Barcelona.

Laporta's first mandate, between 2003 and 2010, is considered Barcelona's golden era,  including 12 titles and the famous 'sextet' or 'sextuplet' won in the 2008-2009 season under Pep Guardiola.

Excesses and controversies became a daily theme in 'Can Barça'. Parties, alcohol, and a carefree mindset heavily influenced the squad. The president's lust for parties and excess attracted negative press. Laporta's erratic behavior led to a surreal incident at the Airport, where FC Barcelona's president ended up in his underwear!

Just two months after becoming president, Laporta ran into trouble at El Prat airport in Barcelona. After beeping repeatedly at the security checkpoint, Barcelona's president undressed down to his underwear, throwing his clothes around while screaming at the security guards.

Laporta is a man who enjoys the highlife, be it on the deck of a yacht or celebrating the victories of FC Barcelona at nightclubs.

During Laporta's early days as president, he became a regular visitor at the 'Luz de Gas' club in Barcelona, where the club would celebrate many of their titles, including the 'sextet'. During a wild celebration, the president was photographed inside the club bathed in champagne and sweat, what a wild party!

Laporta's fondness for partying inspired a chant among Barça fans, after the great 'sextet'. Fans would shout: "Alcohol, alcohol, alcohol, we have come to get drunk and with Laporta at Luz de Gas".

But after the party, a hangover usually kicks in. When running an institution like FC Barcelona, one must be at 100%. Laporta's wild tendencies led to the resignations of multiple directors in 2008 in an attempt to pressure Laporta to leave. The president confronted the critics, stating his famous phrase: "Listen up, everything is just fine!"

When fans would voice their uncertainties, Joan Laporta would publicly denounce them, pointing fingers and calling them "hypocrites and tricksters who say they are from Barça and they are not".

Laporta took a gamble when he hired inexperienced Pep Guardiola to take over the managerial role in 2008. This would mark the begging of a golden era in Barcelona, revolutionizing 'tiki-taka'. With great success, came great controversy. Laporta was accused of internal espionage, targeting the Board of Directors. Laporta would declare himself oblivious to the news but would eventually leave the club in 2010.

Laporta's first spell with FC Barcelona came to a bitter sweet ending following the espionage allegations. Things got worse after divorcing his wife, Constanza Echevarría, in 2008.

MORE: 'El Clasico': Footballers who played for both Real Madrid and Barcelona

The journalist Pilar Eyre came to define him as "a married man but with distractions". After his divorce, Laporta became even wilder.

Barcelona's former club president began to mingle with Catalan politics, joining the 'Solidaritat Catalana' movement which pushed for Catalan independence from Spain. Their political party gained four seats in parliament.

Laporta has always declared himself an independents (or separatist) and in the 90s he had his dalliances with politics, although it was not until 2010 when he took it more seriously with the foundation of the Democràcia Catalana party that was integrated precisely into Solidaritat Catalana, promoted by himself, for the regional elections of that year.

The merger between sports and politics can be a complicated maneuver and often backfires dramatically. Laporta's foray into politics came at the worst possible time, amidst a period of major political turmoil in Spain. This did not reflect well on the club he had presided over. Guillermo Fernández Vara, Extremadura's regional president openly criticized Laporta, phoning him to call him an "idiot" up to 10 times!

Be that as it may, Laporta won a seat in the Catalan parliament, where he spent two years, until 2012. Since July 2011, half a year after his election, he also held a position as councilor for the city of Barcelona, where he would be until June 2015, when he left politics with the intention of returning to preside over Barça.

In that same year, Laporta faced a $125mn lawsuit by MCM (Muro Cortina Modular Advertising) on account of fraudulent contracts. In the presence of a non-Catalan-speaking lawyer, the judge asked him to testify in Spanish, to which he refused: "I have every right to testify in Catalan, which is my language and that of my country. The lawsuit was dismissed.

In 2020 Laporta presented himself as a candidate, following Bartomeu's disaster. On March 7th, 2021, he became president of FC Barcelona once again after winning the vote by 54.28%.

With Laporta returning to Camp Nou, so did the drama! During his campaign, he placed a giant banner with his face staring right at the Santiago Bernabeu with the motto: "Looking forward to seeing you all again".

Joan Laporta's return to 'Can Barça' has not been easy, as the club is currently facing serious financial difficulties. The accumulated club debt amounts to a total of $1.4bn.

At the time of Laporta's return to Barcelona, the club also faced a major franchise issue as the star player, Leo Messi, was being sought after by PSG through very aggressive negotiations. The Parisians wanted to capitalize on Barcelona's economic issues and tried to force the sale. Laporta decided to go through with the sale, despite fans' criticism.

Another massive controversy emerged during Barcelona's knockout match versus Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League. A total of 30,000 German fans managed to enter the stadium, leaving out many Barcelona fans without a ticket. An embarrassing scene to see your home ground taken over by a foreign fan base.

His statements in RAC1 regarding Will Smith's slap at the Oscars 2022, were very controversial and a bit out of touch. "Will Smith's wife might have alopecia, all nicely shaved...But looking good, real good".

The miracle levers, the big money moves! Laporta was able to heal the club's finances by selling club assets and image rights. Laporta generated a total of $898mn, which he would invest for future signing. Was this the right move or was it a rash decision that would affect the club in the long term?

During the 2022 pre-season, Laporta would appear in the stands of Camp Nou with a black eye. The reasons behind the black eye are still unknown, however, he was the center of attention and was a hot target for social media critics.

In sports, it is the end game that matters most. His first year back as president ended with no silverware. After being eliminated from the Champions League and then Europa League, critics targeted Laporta, who failed to meet his goals for the season.

In 2022, during the Clasico at the Santiago Bernabéu, his team was defeated 3-1, and Laporta ironically made some negative comments regarding the referee. He would go down to the referee's locker room and challenge the referees.

According to Marca, the referee noted the events down on the report: "Once the match was over and the refereeing team found us inside the locker room, the president of Barcelona, Joan Laporta, accessed it, repeatedly requesting explanations about some situations of the match."

Following his quarrel with the referees in the Clasico, a big storm was looming around 'Can Barça'. The Spanish Taxing Agency discovered some fraudulent payments from FC Barcelona to the former vice president of the Spanish Referees Committee, José María Enríquez Negreira. Laporta among other club directors are accused of paying $7.5mn during the past decade.

The club and Joan Laporta are currently under investigation by the Spanish government and FIFA, as the reason behind the payments remains unclear. The judges will have to decide, however, Barcelona's image has been permanently damaged.

Regarding the Negreira scandal, Laporta warned the media that FC Barcelona was never involved in any fraudulent activity regarding referees. "Right when we start doing well as a team, a mysterious campaign kicks off to smear the club's image, to buy the club". The club president accused "the black hand", as a reference to Barcelona's invisible enemy.

The Negreira scandal has left investors nervous. Laporta is the face of Barcelona's new remodeling project, and such bad press is unsettling many investors.

Laporta has been bumping heads with Javier Tebas, president of la Liga, accusing him of being biased. Ironically, Laporta's strongest ally within the League is arch-rival Real Madrid. Both Spanish clubs are combining forces to try and defend their interests in the European Super League project.

The respect shown between Real Madrid and Barcelona is mutual. Both clubs understand each other well and understand their roles in the football world. However, the corruption allegations regarding Negreira have generated some distance between both clubs. Not one Real Madrid representative showed up at the last Clasico in Camp Nou, a clear statement from the Spanish capital.

The 'Kings League' took its final playoff games to Camp Nou, where Laporta was spotted in the stands, visibly excited, shouting slogans against Real Madrid along the rest of the stadium.

Laporta has been overwhelmed with everything surrounding the Negreira case, however, the Barcelona president has been around the block once or twice! He is a firm defender of the club and its integrity and has vouched to crusade against those who campaign against the club.

The Prosecutor's Office has already asked him to come as a witness to testify in the Negreira case. All this is happening while UEFA and FIFA keep their finger on the trigger, awaiting news from Spain. FC Barcelona has to face one of its worst financial crises alongside a major prestige crisis simultaneously. Will Laporta last all 12 rounds in the ring and come out victorious or will we see another early resignation? Only time will tell.