Joan Laporta, president of FC Barcelona, visited Sitges this Saturday, where he received a tribute from the Sitges Veterans Association with the inauguration of a plaque with his name on Avinguda de les Estrelles, which displays with other plaques a tribute to great personalities in the world of football, especially linked to Johan Cruyff. The day also included football matches between Sitges, Barça and Chelsea veterans at the Municipal de Aiguadolç, with the presence of the mayor of Sitges, Aurora Carbonell.
After the emotional event, the president spoke to the media and, in addition to reviewing the news of the men's first team, which this afternoon plays against Getafe at the Spotify Camp Nou after the long national team break, he also attacked Real Madrid for its attitude in the Negreira case and in different football organizations.
He has accused the white club of trying to discredit Barça and has assured that he fully trusts in the acquittal of the Barça entity. “They tried to condemn us before judging us,” he stated. “And it is being shown that there was nothing of what they accused us of,” he added.
He has also criticized Real Madrid's position in UEFA, the Euroleague and the European Football Clubs. The Barça president has urged the white club to “be self-critical” and has assured that, despite the obstacles it puts in the way, it ends up getting closer to the proposals defended by the rest of the clubs. "You go to the institutions, you go to UEFA, you go to the Euroleague and they are against everything and everyone. The other day I was at the Congress, at the General Assembly of the European Football Clubs and they did not even have representation. It says a lot about the attitude of a club that is losing prestige, recognition and credibility at the national, state and international level. It is evident. They opt for a very arrogant, very arrogant attitude. They will know what they are doing. They would have to engage in self-criticism," he remarked.
Regarding Lamine Yamal's chances of winning the Ballon d'Or, the Barça president has been convinced that the forward deserves the award after his season. "In my opinion, he had a great season. In addition, he has won very important titles like the League and the World Cup," he stated.
He has also supported that the footballer openly expresses his ambition: “He is a very sincere, very direct and very young guy.” He has assured that he would be “very happy” if Lamine won the award and has asked to contextualize his statements due to his age. "The truth is that Lamine is enthusiastic and I understand that sometimes he manifests himself this way. In fact, there is a kind of competition. Maybe before, with Messi and Cristiano, this didn't happen so much. For me, there was always uncertainty, although Messi had to win because he was the best, but they didn't publicly apply. Now it's another way of dealing with the issue and I think we shouldn't get it out of hand," he said.
In his opinion, Lamine Yamal's "is a very human reaction from a 19-year-old boy who is going to make history in football," he maintained. Although he also explained that "we'll see how it goes, because there is absolute secrecy. We have all tried to talk to France Football and there is no way for them to leak anything," he said.
On a sporting level, the president has also regretted Raphinha's injury with the Brazilian team. "He was injured, he returned and has recovered here. The doctors say that he will be available for the Paris game. These are situations that we have to accept," he said.
Finally, he praised Flick's management and claimed Barcelona's sporting moment. “We have a team that people love playing football,” he stated, before highlighting that nine players on the squad have been world champions and that “from Madrid they try to minimize all this.”
He has also pointed out that Barça Atlètic can contribute players to the first team and has warned of the difficulty of the next match against Getafe, which Laporta has defined as “a tough team, solid defensively and with a coach who knows how to compete.” The president has also highlighted the good classification of the Madrid team, which is fighting for the European positions.
