What Catalans Want 1 Next New State in Europe Also Interviewed in This Book Toni Strubell Country 2 3 Joan Laporta Country 4

Joan Laporta - “Jan” to his friends - is one of the best-known Catalans in the world. He’s undoubtedly been the most successful president in the history of FC Barcelona (2003-10). Under Laporta’s seven- year presidency, Barça won two of their three Champion’s League Cups (2005-6, 2008-9), their only FIFA Club World Cup (2009-10) and four Spanish Leagues (2004-5, 2005-6, 2008-9 and 2009-2010). The amazing 2009-2010 season, referred to by some as Barca’s “Annus Mirabilis,” is said to have been the best season ever accomplished by a top level team in Europe. In fact it’s been regarded as an “unbeatable” record, since Barça won every single title it went in for that year: Spanish Cup, Spanish League, European Supercup, Spanish Supercup, Champion’s League and FIFA Club World Cup. A remarkable achievement on any standards especially if we bear in mind that it was trainer Josep Guardiola’s first season at the helm of a first division team! As regards Joan Laporta’s presidency, the paradox about the record-breaking 2009-10 season was that it came in the wake of his trickiest period as president after two league flops in the 2006-7 and 2007-8 seasons. His well-funded opposition campaigners actually called a motion of censure against him which narrowly missed forcing his resignation. Though it’s hard to explain exactly why Laporta was subjected to the censure motion, the fact is that the media had for some time been portraying him as an off-beat and erratic President. They showed no mercy when judging his occasional slip-ups and eccentricities, which often went no further than anecdotes that heartier English club presidents might actually brag about. Ex-Avui newspaper editor and current Barça TV director, Vicent Sanchis,1 has his own theories about the attacks against Laporta: “Envy is one of the major vices of our country. And he’s got too many things going for him. He’s young. He’s attractive. He’s successful with Barça. And with the girls. Lots of people just can’t forgive him for all that.” Certainly, the establishment have it in for him, seeing him photographer Lluís Brunet as a threat to the Status quo, especially after it was rumoured that he saw his future in politics, a prospect that has been confirmed with the creation of his own party –Democràcia Catalana– in early July 2010 and his foreseeable participation in an wide independentist coalition in the Autumn 2010 elections. Be Joan Laporta that as it may, Catalan supporters are much given to lynching those glorified the day before, especially when “the ball doesn’t make it into the net”, as the saying goes. But when all is said and done, Laporta Barça’s triumphant president is the man who turned a traditional “loser club” into the world’s most powerful and victorious team of the new Millenium. What Catalans Want 1 Next new state in europe Also interviewed in this book Toni Strubell Country 2 3 Joan Laporta Country 4.

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