Barcelona president Laporta sets club elections for March

Barcelona president Joan Laporta on Thursday set March 15 as the date for the presidential elections where he hopes to be re-elected by the club's members.

It is the earliest the vote can be held due to the Catalan side's statutes, after he was elected for the second time in March 2021 and is approaching the end of his five-year term.

"Today in a meeting between the board of directors we have agreed that on March 15 we will hold elections for the presidency of FC Barcelona," said Laporta in a video on the club website.

"We are certain these will be exemplary elections with great (levels of) participation."

The 63-year-old is set to be challenged by Victor Font, who finished second in the previous elections with 30 percent of the vote, behind Laporta on 54 percent, as well as Xavier Vilajoana and Marc Ciria.

After Barcelona beat Real Madrid to win the Spanish Super Cup earlier in January, lifted a domestic treble last season and reached the Champions League semi-finals, Laporta is favourite to be elected once again.

However in his 2021 campaign he pledged to keep all-time Barca great Lionel Messi at the club, which he was unable to achieve because of Barca's poor financial health.

During his reign Laporta has overseen the heavily-delayed rebuild and partial re-opening of the club's Camp Nou home.