Laporta meets with members in Mataró to outline the key pillars of “Defensem el Barça”: stability, economic consolidation, completion of Espai Barça, and continuing to uphold a successful sporting model.
Mataró, February 19, 2026.– Joan Laporta met this afternoon at the Bar Capgrossos in Mataró with club members from the city and the Maresme region at a campaign event as part of the “Defensem el Barça” initiative, a call to continue the project launched in 2021. The pre-candidate stated that the Club is “objectively and indisputably better” than at the beginning of the mandate, having overcome a “critical” situation, and highlighted the reduction of debt, increased revenues, record sponsorship deals, and digital growth. Laporta defended a clear vision for the future, based on institutional stability and strong leadership, to consolidate a member-owned club model that is more efficient, modern, and competitive.
Laporta also referred to the recovery from a sporting perspective, “with a model of sporting success recognized and admired worldwide and based on La Masia,” as well as in the social, institutional, and governance spheres. Regarding the latter, he explained that “we want to consolidate a high-level model that the world’s leading business schools have already shown interest in studying from an academic perspective.”
Finally, the pre-candidate shared the core idea of the campaign with members: “loving Barça means defending Barça against everything and everyone—against those who would like to see the Club sidelined, subdued and dominated, by inexperienced individuals or by those who understand the Club solely as a business,” adding that “we want to defend it in order to keep building and winning.”
Defending the model and identity
One of the central themes of Joan Laporta’s speech to members in Mataró was the defense of the Club’s institutional independence and the preservation of the principles that have made it “more than a club.” Laporta explained that “Defensem el Barça” is the candidacy that “guarantees the continuation of the associative club model, with ownership remaining in the hands of its members, rooted in Catalonia and committed to freedom, the Catalan language, and Catalan culture.”
Under the slogan “Defensem el Barça,” the candidacy led by Joan Laporta presents itself as a proposal of continuity, stability, and ambition to consolidate a strong, sustainable, competitive Barça that remains true to its core values.