FC Barcelona 2021 Elections - Candidates, Financial Situation, Sponsorships & Everything Else You Need To Know
Normally, Barcelona would have a new president today. However, the Catalan giant respectively its transitional president Carles Tusquets has recently decided that it would not be possible to hold elections during the coronavirus pandemic in accordance with the government. The elections will most likely take place on March 7 now.
FC Barcelona 2021 Elections - Overview
Barcelona's 2021 elections occur during a time of uncertainty for this gigantic club. FC Barcelona's debt has doubled during the 2019-20 campaign from €217m in June 2019 to €488m in June 2020. Effectively, the postponement means that FC Barcelona will not be able to thoroughly plan the future right now.
the postponement will hurt the club a lot
There will also have to be important decisions regarding the club's biggest signigns of all time such as Ousmane Dembélé, Antoine Griezmann or Philippe Coutinho. These decisions will not be taken until a new president is elected. Altogether, the postponement will hurt the club a lot and it remains to be seen what the answer of the debt holders will be.
FC Barcelona's Financial Situation - Sponsorship Contracts
Barcelona's next president will have to agree new sponsorship deals, possibly without having Messi as key factor for sponsors
Barcelona currently has sponsorship deals with Rakuten (main sponsor) and Beko (sleeve sponsor / training). The deal with Rakuten was recently extended for one more season (running out in 2022), while Beko runs out in 2021. The next president will have to agree new sponsorship deals. New sponsorship deals will mean planning certainty and could mean to be able to hold huge factors of the wage bill like Lionel Messi.
FC Barcelona 2021 Elections - The Candidates
There was already a first round of collecting signatures to reduce the amount of pre candidates and to officially become a candidate. Only 3 candidates, Victor Font, Toni Freixa and Joan Laporta, were able to advance. A minimum of 2,257 valid signatures was required.
The pre elections also are a first preview of the elections and they show a clear favorite: Joan Laporta who collected 10.257 signatures, the most any candidate has ever amassed. Victor Font came in on second place with 4.710 signatures, while Toni Freixa presented 2.822 signatures. Obviously, this shows a clear edge for Laporta.
"If the elections were tomorrow, who would you vote for?" - survey by MundoDeportivo
The new president will be elected for 6 years. Everybody with a club membership for at least one year, while also being over 18 years old will be able to vote by visiting Camp Nou.
What do you think of FC Barcelona's increasingly worrying situation off the pitch? Do you like the candidates? Who would you vote for? Drop us a line below.
