Barcelona presidential hopeful Joan Laporta has re-established his pro-independence credentials for Catalonia by claiming the Spanish national football team should not play at the club’s Camp Nou stadium.
Laporta previously served as club president between 2003 and 2010, overseeing the construction of one of the greatest club teams in football history alongside Pep Guardiola.
The 58-year-old also served as an MP in the Parliament of Catalonia between 2010 and 2012 and has rarely shied away from controversial political issues.
Laporta told reporters, in quotes carried by Marca, when asked about the Spanish national side playing at the home of the Blaugrana: “Luis Rubiales, president of the RFEF, is an intelligent person who knows that the best thing for the national team is to play where they have more support, such as Seville, Valencia , Madrid…and perhaps here is not the most appropriate place.
“For the Spanish team not to play at the Camp Nou is the best decision because the situation does not meet the most positive conditions for them to do so.”
Laporta was born and raised in Barcelona and studied law at the city’s university. Upon graduation he established his own law firm, Laporta & Arbos.
According to his campaign website, Laporta is running on a platform of renewed emphasis on La Masia and Barcelona’s responsibility of projecting Catalonia to the world.
