Flick Shows His Hand: Barça Boss Backs Laporta Ahead of March Elections
Hansi Flick turned up to Joan Laporta's book launch alongside Deco and Bojan Krkić, making his presidential preference pretty clear ahead of the 15 March vote.
Hansi Flick said back in January that his vote was a private matter — turns out actions speak louder than words, don’t they.
The Book Launch That Became a Political Statement
Joan Laporta presented his new book, Així hem salvat al Barça (co-written with Josep Maria Fonalleres), at the Ateneu Barcelonès in Barcelona on Monday. The book covers his version of events since returning as president in 2021 — basically, his case for why Barça should be grateful he rocked up when he did.
But the real story wasn’t what was inside the book. It was who walked through the door.
Flick, Deco, and Bojan Walk Into a Book Launch…
Turning up alongside Laporta were:
- Hansi Flick — the Barça head coach
- Deco — the club’s sporting director
- Bojan Krkić — coordinator of the football area
Now, Flick had previously told journalists in a press conference that “the vote is secret, it’s not that important” when asked about the upcoming presidential elections on 15 March. Fair enough on paper. But showing up to your president’s book launch with the sporting director in tow? That’s not exactly neutral, is it, mate.
The Víctor Font Angle
This is where it gets a bit spicy. Laporta’s main rival in the election, Víctor Font, had already made it known he’d be getting rid of Deco as sporting director if he wins. Font and Flick are said to have a decent relationship — so Font presumably thought he had the German on side.
The fact that Flick and Deco both rocked up to Laporta’s event together sends a pretty unambiguous message. Flick clearly values his working relationship with Deco, and isn’t about to let that get binned off by a change in the boardroom.
Laporta Goes on the Offensive
Laporta also used the occasion to address a recent legal complaint filed against him, dismissing it as a politically motivated stitch-up designed to muddy the electoral waters. He claimed the complaint was “full of lies” and linked those behind it to efforts to block Dani Olmo’s registration earlier this season — a saga that dragged on for weeks and caused no end of headaches at the club.
Whether you believe him or not, Laporta clearly isn’t going into this election quietly.
What It All Means
With the vote on 15 March, the optics of Monday evening couldn’t have been clearer. The current manager, the sporting director, and a key member of the football structure all publicly aligning with the incumbent president — that’s a significant show of solidarity, whatever anyone says about secret ballots.
Font’s camp will be hoping the socios see things differently when they actually get to vote. But Laporta’s got the coach onside, and in football, that counts for a lot.