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One of the frontrunners in the upcoming Barcelona presidential election, Joan Laporta, has blasted statements made by his rival Victor Font concerning Xavi Hernandez. The 58-year-old was quoted by Rac 1 via Le10 sports as saying:
''Xavi? We will see if it matches. It's not about getting wet or not. Xavi was used for a campaign. And when I see that there are people who say that he will be general manager, I think he is being abused. We have had great experiences with him. And the Xavi case, I see it like that. I'm not going to use him."
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Laporta also touched on Jordi, the son of the late great Johan Cruyff and stated that he will not endanger his career.
"What I will never do is endanger the career of someone like Xavi or Jordi Cruyff. The time will come to integrate them. In Xavi's case, he's just transitioned from player to coach, and in Jordi's case, he's made the transition from player to coach and technical secretary," said Laporta.
Victor Font, another candidate in the Barcelona elections, had expressed his intent to make Xavi manager if he wins. The legendary midfielder currently manages Qatari side Al-Saad following his retirement and has achieved considerable success in the gulf nation.
Xavi had been approached for the Barcelona managerial position following the termination of Ernesto Valverde in January last year but turned down the opportunity. However, he has continued to be linked with the role and the World Cup winner himself has not ruled out the possibility of managing Barcelona.
Many are of the opinion that rushing him into a job as prestigious as the one at Barcelona so soon in his managerial career could be counter-productive - a view shared by Joan Laporte.
What impact will the presidential elections have on Barcelona's future?
It is not a stretch to suggest that Barcelona are at the lowest point in their illustrious 121-year history. The club are currently being rocked by numerous issues, with Josep Bartomeu's arrest on Monday the latest in a long line of scandals associated with the Blaugrana.
The new president will have to restore the club's dented image while also getting Barcelona's finances in order. Transfer policies will also have to be looked at, as Barcelona have been spending large sums of money with little return in the last decade.
