Joan Laporta Estruch is a Spanish politician and current president of FC Barcelona.
15 Facts About Joan Laporta
2.
Joan Laporta served as MP in the Parliament of Catalonia between 2010 and 2012.
3.
Joan Laporta started his involvement with FC Barcelona leading the "Elefant Blau", a group which opposed former president Josep Lluis Nunez and which, in 1998, tried unsuccessfully a vote of no confidence against him.
4.
Joan Laporta had the support of other young businessmen of Barcelona, such as Sandro Rosell.
5.
Joan Laporta quickly became a media star, even more than some of the players.
6.
In November 2020, Joan Laporta announced president candidacy for the 2021 FC Barcelona presidential elections.
7.
Joan Laporta succeeded Josep Maria Bartomeu who resigned in October 2020 to avoid facing a vote of no confidence from the club members.
8.
Joan Laporta has long held ambitions to enter Spanish politics after leaving office as president of FC Barcelona.
9.
Joan Laporta has in the past been outspoken about his political affiliations: he supports Catalan independence from Spain.
10.
FC Barcelona is seen by many as a symbol of Catalonia, a generally accepted fact which Joan Laporta often emphasizes but has been criticized by those who think that Barca should remain neutral from a political standpoint.
11.
In 2011, Joan Laporta stepped down as president of the Catalan Solidarity for Independence and left the party.
12.
Joan Laporta is a self-described Catalan nationalist and has been identified on several occasions as supporting the independence of Catalonia from Spain.
13.
Joan Laporta was an active participant at the controversial Frankfurt Book Fair of 2007, at which Catalan language and culture were the special featured invitees, but not including other Catalonia-based authors who wrote in other languages, such as Spanish.
14.
At the fair, Joan Laporta stated that he "hopes that FC Barcelona continues to be a tool to promote the Catalan language and culture" and to the contrary, he would feel obligated "to create the Catalan Republic of Barcelona".
15.
Joan Laporta failed the promise, Messi left for another club making some fans angry and upset.