Barça's Leadership Crisis: Font Ready to Bin Deco as Flick's Future Hangs in Balance
Presidential candidate Víctor Font plans to sack Deco if elected, potentially triggering Hansi Flick's departure despite the German's contract running until 2025.
Barcelona’s upcoming presidential elections could trigger a major backroom shake-up with sporting director Deco facing the chop and manager Hansi Flick potentially heading for the exit door despite his impressive first season.
Font’s Bold Declaration
Víctor Font, Laporta’s main challenger in the upcoming presidential elections, has made his intentions crystal clear regarding Barcelona’s sporting structure. In a bombshell interview with RAC1, Font stated: “Deco will not be my sporting director.”
The presidential hopeful plans to build a new sporting structure around Hansi Flick, though he’s playing his cards close to his chest regarding who might replace Deco. Font’s criticism of the current sporting director has been consistent over recent years, particularly around:
- The Vitor Roque saga (though this eventually turned out better than expected)
- Iñigo Martínez’s free departure to Saudi Arabia last summer
- General questions about the sporting direction
Flick and Deco: A Match Made in Heaven?
The irony here is that Flick himself appears perfectly content with the current arrangement. The German coach has publicly expressed his satisfaction working with Deco, highlighting their mutual trust and shared football philosophy.
Flick still has a year remaining on his contract, but sources suggest he considers himself part of Laporta’s project rather than a club employee who’d simply work under any president. If Laporta wins re-election, discussions about a contract extension would likely begin after July 1st when he’d officially take office.
The Elephant in the Room
Despite Font’s stated intention to keep Flick, the German gaffer might walk away regardless if Laporta loses. The current thinking is that Flick would likely waive his remaining contract year rather than work in a structure without Deco, with whom he’s formed a proper partnership.
This creates a right old pickle for Font, who needs to convince both the voters and potentially Flick himself that his new sporting structure would work better than the current setup that’s delivering promising results on the pitch.
The situation highlights how Barcelona’s sporting project hangs in the balance, with the club’s fans caught between appreciating Flick’s work and deciding which presidential vision offers the most sustainable future.