Joan Laporta – About To Laugh Last?
There is a reason fans of the beautiful game such as myself should largely stick to the sidelines regarding club matters. Could you believe it was less than a year ago that Barcelona’s president Joan Laporta lost a vote of confidence? Below is an article looking back on those stormy days for Laporta.
Laporta facing vote of confidence
Joan Laporta’s five-year reign as Barcelona president could be nearing its end if club members turn out in large enough numbers to vote against him in Sunday’s motion of confidence. The referendum has been forced by club member Oriol Giralt, who gathered enough signatures to support his motion criticising Laporta’s administration of the club.
After hanging on by a string everything has come up aces for Laporta. Team harmony has improved with letting Ronaldinho and Deco move on. After originally hiring a coach without experience managing a big club in Frank Rijkaard, Laporta hit the jackpot following the same formula in hiring Josep Guardiola, a main stay of those great Barcelona teams in the 90′s. In a week either Barcelona or Manchester United will end up winning the treble but even with a Champions League defeat Barcelona has played world class football setting the bar so high in Spain that it will take something special for Real Madrid overtake them next year. Not bad for a man many people originally considered a fool for not being able to bring David Beckham to Barcelona and instead had to settle on Ronaldinho. Sure, sometimes luck plays a part of it but Laporta is far from the president many felt had lost it after two years without a trophy entering this season.