Barcelona have decided the date for their upcoming presidential elections. The decision was taken at a board meeting on Thursday, and it was that the elections will take place on Sunday January 24th 2021.
The decision was between the 24th or the 17th, with the board opting for the former even though Barcelona play away at Elche that weekend. “In the course of the next few weeks the final electoral calendar will be made official, as well as the venues and logistics of the entire process” Barcelona revealed in a statement as reported by Sport.
The president who does win the election on January 24th will have a narrow window to move in the transfer market should he intend on brining in reinforcements to Ronald Koeman’s squad. The winter transfer window opens on January 4th and closes on February 1st, so the incoming board will have just one week to act.
At this very moment, the candidates who’ve announced their intention to run are Victor Font, Toni Freixa, Agusti Benedito, Jordi Farre, Luis Fernandez Ala and Xavier Vilajoana. The electoral campaign will last one week, from January 15th to the 22nd, and only members of legal voting age will be able to vote – they’ll have to have been a member for a year and never have been suspended. Electronic voting won’t be allowed, and all candidates must gather at least 2,264 signatures.
The winner of the election will have a challenging six-year tenure ahead of them. They’ll have to inject life into an ageing and sluggish team, and try to bring Barcelona back to the level of Europe’s super-elite. Most pressing, however, will be convincing Lionel Messi to stay – the Argentine talisman can sign for whoever he wants come the summer, a year on after failing to force a move from the club with whom he’s spent his entire club career.
Featured image courtesy of Forbes.
