The heat has been turned up between Barcelona presidential frontrunners Joan Laporta and Victor Font ahead of next month’s election.
Laporta has set up a promotional billboard less than 200m from the Santiago Bernabeu, home of fierce rivals Real Madrid and Font has now responded to the stunt.
#HolaMadrid😎 pic.twitter.com/eSmCkVWyeb
— Joan Laporta Estruch🎗 (@JoanLaportaFCB) December 15, 2020
Laporta’s banner read “looking forward to seeing you again” in a direct message to fans of Madrid, referencing how as Blaugrana president, he led the club into a period of ascendancy over Los Blancos both domestically and in Europe, between 2003 and 2010.
Read more: Barcelona confirm details of presidential elections
Font has come out to applaud the “master” of publicity Laporta, but he insisted that now was the time for real solutions to very real problems, that he would be best placed to solve.
“Jan, en això ets el putu amo 👏😂 Però amb pancartes, ni guanyarem Champions, ni farem un estadi nou ni resoldrem el deute del Club. Per tant, a contrastar projectes 💪 i ens veiem el dia 24”#sialfutur🔵🔴 pic.twitter.com/ULYZhNXkND
— Víctor Font: Sí al Futur (@sialfutur) December 15, 2020
Font has said: “Jan, you are the master! However, banners will not win a Champions League, nor solve the club’s debt, nor build a new stadium. Therefore, we can contrast our projects. See you on 24 January!”
The elections are continuing to dominate Barcelona news with ESPN Deportes recently outlining how Font was the early frontrunner for the position, of which there are now seven confirmed candidates.
Laporta has never shied away from issues of controversy, having also served as an MP in the Parliament of Catalonia between 2010 and 2012.
Laporta – club president between 2003 and 2010 – lost out to previous incumbent Bartomeu in the 2015 elections, in the wake of Barca winning the treble.
Each candidate will need the signature approval of at least 2,257 members and to present a guaranteed payment of at least €124.2m to be considered for the vacant position of president.
