Challenger to Laporta – 1st candidate for 2026 Barca presidential elections

Barcelona President Joan Laporta has more pressing issues on his mind to try and deal with at the club than the 2026 elections, but already others are considering running against him. Laporta’s risky behaviour regarding economic levers, his handling of the Negreira case, and the high turnover amongst senior positions have been criticised in recent months.

Marc Ciria i Roig is mostly critical of the former. The businessman and financial consultant has been a regular presence amongst Barcelona-based media in recent years, and on Sunday evening admitted that he is working to put together a team in order to potentially run for the elections which are now two years away. Candidates must first gather a number of signatures to reach the electoral run, set at 2,257 last time out.

Ciria revealed as much on Monday night to Sport, as he continued to criticise Laporta’s financial management, claiming there is a disparity of €400m between the club’s income and outgoings. In order to continue their ‘model of governance’. Ciria advocates for a change of direction towards a more ‘sustainable’ model. He also advocated for a fresh generation to breathe fresh life into the club.

He was once part of Josep Maria Bartomeu’s campaign in 2015, but left it, an election he would go on to win. It is not yet clear whether Laporta’s two biggest challengers from 2021, Victor Font and Toni Freixa would run, although both have appeared regularly in the press over the pass year to critique the management at Barcelona.