According to the latest report from Sport, Barcelona’s next presidential election is expected to take place on March 22, and Laporta will resign in advance in order to run again in the election.
It is reported that at 12:00 local time today, the Barcelona board of directors will hold an important meeting at their offices in Camp Nou. Laporta has convened his management team, and several key agenda items will be discussed during the meeting, with announcements to follow afterward.
The most critical item is the date for the club’s presidential election. According to the club’s statutes, the election must be held between March 15 and June 15. After internal discussions, it has been nearly decided to hold the vote on Sunday, March 22.
The current board hopes to hold the election as early as possible to avoid disrupting the team’s performance under Flick as they compete for titles. Considering the statutes recommend holding elections on a matchday at Camp Nou to boost voter turnout, the board had initially considered March 15.
However, since Barcelona might play the second leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie on March 14 that weekend, March 22 was chosen instead, as it does not interfere with Flick’s team hosting Rayo Vallecano at home.
The Barcelona board also needs to announce a special general assembly to be held on the weekend of February 7–8, where they will unveil the new back-of-shirt sponsorship agreement for the first team and the renewal of their deal with Spotify. This special assembly must take place before Laporta and part of his board resign to run in the election.
If March 22 is confirmed as the election day for the new president, Laporta should resign around February 15 to comply with the club’s electoral timeline. Laporta will step down, but one-third of his board members will remain in place to manage the club during the election process.
If Laporta wins the election and wishes to stay on the board, these board members will need approval from the general assembly. At Thursday’s meeting, the Barcelona board must also confirm the renewal of their agreement with the EuroLeague Basketball competition, extending it through 2036. Barcelona will renew the deal, including a clause allowing future participation in an NBA project.