Joan Laporta: Barcelona were 'about to die' before I returned
Paul Macdonald
- Updated: 9 Jun 2022 14:01 BST
- 3 min read
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has claimed that the club was 'about to die' before he returned, and now they 'remain in the ICU'.
Laporta was re-elected last season and had to oversee a tumultuous summer in which club icon Lionel Messi was forced to leave as his salary could no longer be afforded.
Other intense cost cutting measures took place, including allowing Antoine Griezmann to leave on loan in order to meet La Liga's strict salary cap regulations.
The situation remains dire, with the club still €1.3 Billion in debt and have sold off the naming rights of Camp Nou to Spotify to offset some of their crippling losses.
And Laporta was speaking at an event organised to raise funds, in which 25% of Barcelona's future TV revenue will be offset, with a view to attracting interested bidders.
When we took office the club was about to die, and with the work of this time we have managed to go to the ICU.
- Joan LaportaSpeaking to Barcelona's members, Laporta said of the situation: "When we took office the club was about to die, and with the work of this time we have managed to go to the ICU. Now, if we get these two levers approved, we can leave the hospital and lead a normal life.
"I want to prioritise this issue of levers before you because you are an advisory body and your opinion is very important to us, and this is a highly topical issue."
"Despite some things that you hear, as long as I am president the club will always continue to belong to the members."
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Barcelona's situation is such that they have offered fans the opportunity to play matches or even get married on the Camp Nou surface, as they look to raise money in the short term to meet their salary requirements for next season.
