Laporta on Raphinha, Flick, and the season ahead
Joan Laporta went through nearly every hot-button topic around Barcelona in a broad interview with Món Esport. The club president said he is angry about Raphinha’s injury, confident that Hansi Flick will stay, optimistic about titles, and unsurprisingly unwilling to hand out much comfort to Real Madrid when the Negreira case came up.
Raphinha and FIFA’s calendar
Laporta did not hide his frustration over Raphinha being injured in a friendly between France and Brazil in the United States.
"It is very frustrating when one of the best players in the squad gets injured in a friendly between France and Brazil in the United States. You cannot shift the responsibility onto the player for not playing, because he is a professional who gives everything for his country. That is normal, but FIFA should design an international calendar that takes into account the competitions the biggest clubs have to play."
His complaint was not really about the player. It was about the schedule, which in modern football is often treated as a theoretical concept rather than a practical one.
Flick’s renewal: calm, later
Laporta also addressed Hansi Flick’s contract situation and said the coach has more than earned an extension. Even so, the president suggested the matter will wait until the end of the season.
"At the end of the season, calmly, we will talk about it. He does not have this need. He is a very honest man with himself and very professional. I think he has earned the renewal, but he prefers to wait until the end of the season, assess the situation, and decide what we should do."
Laporta added that Flick seems to prefer a short margin of safety rather than a long contract, because he does not want anyone thinking he might relax. Which, in football, is almost an accusation on its own.
Keeping the squad together
On sporting planning, Laporta argued that Barcelona should focus less on constant market movement and more on consolidating what is already working.
He said he expects the team to improve in all areas, but stressed that once a competitive squad has been built, the priority should be to keep it together and strengthen carefully.
"What should be done after getting such a competitive team is to keep it and consolidate it. There is no need to go into the market just for the sake of it. We must keep looking at what we have at home and, if necessary, improve the squad."
Financial fair play and the numbers game
Laporta also spoke about Barcelona’s financial situation and the club’s hopes of operating with more room in the transfer market.
He said all clubs in LaLiga face the same economic control rules and that the system is strict, but workable if the club can make its case to the financial oversight committee.
According to Laporta, Barcelona will now bill 1.1 billion euros, above budget, which he said should help the club regain enough fair play space to sign players.
"We will now invoice 1.1 billion euros, more than budgeted. That will help us a lot to have the fair play needed to be able to sign players."
He added that, based on the numbers, Barcelona would already be at around four million euros of fair play this summer, and said the interim financial statements show stronger revenue volumes that he hopes the committee will take into account.
The title race and a very optimistic president
When it came to trophies, Laporta leaned into his favorite mode: full optimism.
"I am very optimistic, and I would even tell you about the ones we cannot win. What about the Copa del Rey? It is as if we had won it after the second leg against Atlético. We did not come back by very little. If we had had the Gol Nord, we almost certainly would have turned it around."
He said Barcelona are currently candidates to win every competition they are in, including LaLiga and the Champions League.
Catalan language policy: no contract clause
Laporta was also asked whether Barcelona should require players to learn Catalan as part of their contracts. He said that is not under consideration.
The club, he said, leaves that choice open, but makes clear that Barcelona is a Catalan institution open to the world and committed to democracy, freedoms, culture, and language.
He insisted the club’s official language is Catalan and said players are aware of that from the start.
Laporta pointed to examples such as Fermín, who comes from a village in Andalusia, and Kika Nazareth, the Portuguese player who has reportedly learned Catalan well.
"The language issue has always seemed very sensitive to me, and the worst thing we can do is impose it. I think you must lead by example and keep showing that our language exists, that it is spoken or understood by ten million people, and that it can be very useful in their work or when relating to their teammates."
Election celebrations and the banner
Laporta also revisited his election celebration, saying he did not think he offended anyone by dancing a little.
The banner, he said, is now history. He added that people suggested he use another one in the campaign, but that he prefers not to repeat himself because, in his view, that would lack originality.
"I think I did not offend anyone by dancing a little and celebrating it... And the banner... that is already history. In this campaign they told me to do another one, but I do not like repeating things. That would lack originality."
Pressure on the club
Asked about the constant pressure surrounding Barcelona, Laporta suggested there is no shortage of people interested in controlling the club, whether from 600 kilometers away or from closer to home.
He said election periods attract all kinds of attempts to influence the club and claimed that while he could have used certain stories communicated to him at the time, he chose not to because it is not his style. Others, he implied, have fewer scruples.
Negreira: condemned before trial, according to Laporta
Laporta was blunt on the Negreira case, saying Barcelona has already been judged before any court ruling.
"It is true that we have been condemned before being tried in the Negreira case, and in everything we do the opposite view is always sought. We are used to it. We are Catalans and we are used to it. And we are Barça and we are used to it."
He argued that the club’s success makes this reaction more common and said the real target is those who want Barcelona "dominated" and "subdued."
Laporta added that some people have tried to erase part of what he called the club’s most glorious history, and that those who want to harm Barcelona "never rest."
Florentino, the Superliga, and the Madrid connection
The Barcelona president described his relationship with Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez as one of mutual respect. He said there was more contact when both clubs were involved in the Superliga project, where their interests aligned.
That changed, he said, once Madrid appeared in the Negreira case.
"My relationship with the president of Madrid is one of mutual respect. Before, we were involved in the Superliga, where our interests converged. Then there was more contact. But that contact faded once they appeared in the Negreira case."
Laporta said he was given all kinds of explanations he does not understand, but he still felt obligated to keep backing the Superliga because he wanted to secure certain things for Barcelona.
He then made his most direct accusation of the interview.
"The Real Madrid have a very murky interest in the Negreira case."
According to Laporta, Madrid keeps contributing what he sees as supposedly conclusive evidence every time a judge tries to close the case, only for those claims to go nowhere.
He argued that this is being used to extend the procedure and support the message from Madrid’s television channel, which, in his view, says judges favor Barcelona.
That, he said, has damaged the institutional relationship between the clubs, even if the personal relationship with Pérez remains one of mutual respect.
The Spotify Camp Nou timeline
Laporta also gave an update on the Spotify Camp Nou works, saying Barcelona has already returned and now has the two stands open, with more than 62,000 seats.
He explained that the project is being handled in phases. First comes the completion of the third tier on the side section, along with VIP seating on the second and third levels. After that will come the main stand, the museum area, and finally the goals.
If everything goes according to plan, and no surprise obstacles appear, Laporta said the aim is to have the stadium finished in early 2028. The crown structure will take longer, and that work will require the team to stop playing there for a period.
Barcelona would like to fit that phase into the summer of 2027 and have LaLiga allow the club to start home matches later.
The original plan was to use the Johan Cruyff Stadium, but Laporta said that depends on how long the disruption lasts. If it is only a month or three or four matches, the Johan Cruyff would be ideal. If the stop is longer, the club may have to return to Montjuïc and the Lluís Companys Stadium.
