What Barcelona president Laporta said on Tuesday – and what it means: Olmo, Rafinha and Qatari money comments

“They did not succeed. They wanted to kill us.”

This is how Joan Laporta began his long-awaited press conference after a very exciting festive period in which he struggled to re-register players and remain president of Barcelona.

“But we worked hard,” he continued. “We never gave up until we got what we wanted: the 1:1 rule and, above all, the scoring of Pau Victor and Dani Olmo. They wanted to destabilize us, to tarnish our armor, and our armor is not tarnished.

“Can anyone really believe that the president of FC Barcelona, ​​I can resign because of a decision of La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation? I am very disappointed in the way the people who aspire to the presidency of this club have behaved.

“It wasn’t about being with Laporta, it was about being in Barcelona’s team. It was a great moment, in the middle of the competition (of the season), and they destabilized the team. “That’s why I appreciate the strength of the team and (coach) Hansi Flick.”

Laporta paused for a moment, his emotions starting to show.

He said: “Poor Barcelona, ​​if it ends up in the hands of these people.”

The athlete It was Laporta’s first press conference since Barcelona initially failed to sign Olmo and Victor in the summer of 2024 for the rest of this season due to the club’s difficulty adhering to La Liga’s salary rules. But then, last Wednesday, the pair were granted a three-month postponement following an injunction by a Spanish government agency, the Supreme Council for Sport (CSD), meaning they can continue playing until the legal complications are resolved.

However, Laporta faced major criticism as a result. At the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, Barcelona’s training ground, with two rows of club directors sitting in front of him and occasionally applauding his answers, he addressed the following:

• The legal argument about the registration of Olmo and Victor
• Why was the conclusive injunction granted?
• What happened in the VIP cabin with members of the Spanish Football Federation in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final?
• Barcelona star Rafinha comments on players now thinking twice before signing with them
• The psychological impact of all this on Olmo and Victor
• Accepting money from Qatar for VIP seats at the not-yet-reopened Camp Nou stadium

This is what he said and what he meant.

Upon recording Olmo and Victor

The press conference was packed and started at 10am yesterday – unusually early for such events in Barcelona – but there were urgent matters to discuss, none more so than efforts to re-register summer arrivals Olmo and Victor.

Laporta said: “Last December 27, we submitted to the Spanish League, before the end of the year and on the deadline, a request to register both players, but the Spanish League asked us to complete the documentation.” “On the 31st, we thought we had met these requirements to return to the 1:1 rule (that clubs cannot spend more on players than they earn in revenue), but La Liga asked for additional requirements.

“We also requested an extension of player licenses from the federation, which told us that we still need to be at the 1:1 stage, but if we can achieve this, there will be no problems.”

Laporta then discussed the rule cited by La Liga, Article 141.5, which states that “football players whose licenses have been revoked may not, during the same season, obtain a license in the same club team with which they were already linked.” “.

He said: “The purpose of the regulations is to stabilize the competition, and we have not entered into a situation that is expected to prevent the player from registering for different clubs in the same season.” This was not the case because (Olmo and Victor) started with us and had a valid contract, which was an extension of the licence.

“Both La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation have told us that the rule is outdated. The law is very clear regarding the rights of athletes. They started playing for Barcelona and continue to do so because they have a valid contract. The stability of the competition is achieved through the stability of the teams.”

Barcelona’s complaint will be considered by the Committee for Sustainable Development, and La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation will defend their decision not to re-register players for the second half of the season.

Go deeper

Olmo postponed to Barça: How long can he and Victor play, why did the government intervene and what next?

On interim measures

Laporta said that he did not want to go into details of the case because “the appeal is still under review,” but he stressed that Barcelona “has always adhered to the rule of law.”

Olmo after winning the Spanish Super Cup in Jeddah on Sunday (Haitham Al Shugairi/AFP/Getty Images)

Regarding the CSD decision, he said: “The CSD granting a precautionary measure (because) it is already aware that damage has occurred that is difficult to repair, and also that there is an appearance of good law (in the arguments presented by Barcelona). That is why (the CSD and its lawyers have granted) State precautionary measure.

And its impact on players

Laporta appeared clearly affected when he said: “They and their families have suffered a lot. It was not nice. We told them: We will register you. We had the legal reason, but they have to present it to you.

“They suffered a lot, and they couldn’t play. They suffered a lot because of the consequences. They behaved very well. They were worried, but they tried not to influence the dynamics of the group (the band). We tried to explain the development but it was not easy.”

In his celebration and behavior in the VIP box

When the injunction became known, Laporta was caught on camera celebrating the news by shouting and making an obscene gesture known as “butifarra” in Catalonia (butifarra is a type of Catalan sausage) as he entered the field before Barcelona’s Super Cup semi-final match against Barcelona. Bilbao Sports Club in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia that night. In addition, there were allegations of misconduct in the VIP box at the same match, where members of the Spanish Football Federation were present.

We have achieved something difficult for all and sundry. I had a reaction. I in no way insulted anyone, nor did I kick or grab anyone by the neck…it was restrained ecstasy and indignation. “I had suffering in my mind,” Laporta said.

“I spoke with the president of the Spanish Football Federation, who told us they had to give us the licence, and I spoke to him. We talked about it and made it clear. I am who I am, I don’t like to play the role. I had a reaction, this is it and that’s it.

On Rafinha’s comments

Yesterday, there was tension between the media and the Barcelona president, who seemed clearly upset, especially when he was asked about Rafinha’s words, who said before the semi-final match against Athletic Bilbao that the players might wonder whether they would join Barcelona in light of what happened. Continue with Olmo and Victor.

“Rafinha wanted to highlight the greatness of this club. You deceived him,” Laporta said, although the Brazilian striker’s original question came from a Middle East-based journalist, not a member of the Catalan press.

On his critics

“The opposition had a golden opportunity to show their love for Barcelona, ​​and they did not take advantage of it,” Laporta said. “They sided with those who wanted to destabilize us and with the media, which was very hostile.”

Laporta with the Super Cup after Barcelona won the final on Sunday (Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

Regarding the VIP seat deal

The key to Barcelona returning to adherence to the 1:1 rule was the sale of 475 VIP seats to an unknown buyer.

Laporta said in his explanation of the situation: “There is an investor from Qatar who subscribed for 30 million euros (25.3 million pounds sterling, 30.9 million dollars) and paid it and we added it to the Spanish League, and the other from the Emirates (the Gulf country, not Arsenal’s main stadium) for 70 million euros. 40 percent had to be paid, it didn’t come until the 31st, the banks were closed and we didn’t deposit it until the 3rd (of January).

“We fulfilled all the requirements before the 31st. The regulation does not say that it must be approved, it is a requirement of the Spanish League and we completed what we could, but the adoption of part of it was later.

About changing his mind about Qatar

When Sandro Rosell was Barcelona’s president from 2010 to 2014, he allowed Qatar Airways to be the first shirt sponsor, replacing the charity Unicef. Laporta criticized Rosell for this decision, saying: “You had to choose between Qatar and the corrupt or between UNICEF and the clean.”

Having now sold places at Camp Nou to investors from Qatar and the UAE, Laporta was asked what the difference was between this situation a decade ago and today.

He said: “The Gulf countries see that they are opening up in the normalization process.” “Nowadays, these countries are a place of opportunity, as it was in my time (as a young man), to go to the US or London to study for a master’s degree.

“They are countries of all kinds of opportunities. They are on their way to achieving the standards that we consider to be correct. Saudi Arabia is also interested in women’s football. There is a kind of openness that did not exist a few years ago.

“I think promoting a country directly is completely different from doing this kind of business with companies from countries that invest in the entire world of sports. We feel comfortable with investors from Qatar and the Emirates.”

Go deeper

What does the Super Clásico in Jeddah tell us about the relationship between Spain and Saudi Arabia?

After listening to all of Laporta’s comments, there was a feeling that there was a golden opportunity that the club president had missed to show self-criticism and transparency. Instead, he was aggressive to and from the press, sending letters to those who did not row the boat for him.

He used Tuesday’s press conference to defend himself and create the story of a club that has conquered everyone and everything.

The event was supposed to last an hour, but it continued for almost two hours, and yet key things remained unexplained.

Go deeper

Inside Olmo’s drama at Barcelona: Warning not to sign him, condition of his exit and dissolution of registration – for now

(Top image: Laporta at his press conference, Photograph by Josep Lago/AFP via Getty Images)