Víctor Font asks for explanations from president Joan Laporta

Víctor Font, who campaigned to become FC Barcelona president in the elections held on 7 March, has given an interview to 'EFE' in which he promised to keep working on his 'Yes to the Future' project. In the interview, he also demanded more transparency from the current board - who received more than Font's 17,000 votes - from whom he said he expected more.

In an interview with journalist Sergi Escudero, the Granollers-born entrepreneur explained that he has resumed his professional career following his unsuccessful presidential campaign. "Since the elections, I've been getting on with what I was doing before the campaign. I'm doing the same job and spending time with my family", he said. However, he stated that he is still monitoring the situation at Barça and maintains a close link with the club: "Not a day goes by that I don't think about Barça or do something related to the club", he admitted. He also claimed that he is regularly asked whether or not he views his unsuccessful presidential bid as a blessing in disguise, given the current situation at the club. To this question, his answer is a resounding "NO". "After all these years of hard work, we were willing and able to assume the challenge. We had a plan to deal with the club's situation", he explained. "We were aware of the club's situation and we'd done our homework", stated Font, who is not convinced by Joan Laporta's work to date.

"The club has lots of 'socios' who currently feel let down by Laporta. Lots of things needed to be done and, to this day, they remain unresolved. Neither do we know the current status of each of these problems, because we haven't been kept up-to-date by the board", explained Font when asked about Joan Laporta's first hundred days at the helm of the Catalan club. However, he added "saying that, I'm sure that these issues will be resolved one way or another. Once the money starts flowing back in when the stadiums are opened up, the club's economic situation will return to full health. The team will still have talented players that can challenge on all fronts, and I'm sure that Laporta and his board will be transparent with regards to their operations", he concluded.

Font also gave his verdict on the club's Assembly: "It seemed like [the board] were kicking the can down the road. Practically nothing was explained to the 'socios', and some decisions that were said to be taken, such as the participation in the European Super League, were not voted on after all. It was nothing but a box ticking exercise". He was also unconvinced by Laporta's first hundred days in charge, claiming that the Barça president did not have a plan for leading the club. Instead, he argued that Laporta and the board were simply making decisions as they go along. With regards to the club's accounts, Font stated that "we had planned to complete all the due diligence before the assembly so that we could explain everything [to the 'socios'] in detail" - something which he feels Laporta did not do. With regards to the so-called 'Laporta Vouchers' and the 'Barça Corporate' financial plan - which has since disappeared from the map - Font reiterated that the incumbent president does not have a workable plan.

Regarding Messi's renewal, Font claimed that he is "convinced" that Messi will stay at the club. "I'm convinced everything is sorted. Messi is as much a Barça fan as any of us. He will have realised that he's better off here than anywhere else".