Barcelona President Joan Laporta has moved to defend advisor Alejandro Echevarria, and given his version of events regarding the failed return of Lionel Messi in 2023. The Catalan side were in talks over bringing back Messi, but during an interview on Sunday night, then manager Xavi Hernandez claimed that Laporta sabotaged his return.
During an election debate on Monday morning with fellow presidential candidate Victor Font, Laporta put Xavi’s comments down to bitterness, due to the fact that Hansi Flick was enjoying more success than him currently. Speaking to Cadena Cope on Monday night, Laporta said that the decision not to return was purely down to Messi.
“What hurts me the most is that Mr. Font has used a Barcelona legend like Xavi. I don’t quite understand why Xavi is saying that about Messi. It seemed like things were going to happen after his time at PSG; I gave him a draft contract, he came to my house and said they had decided they would be better off in Miami. And that was that. Bringing this up now only serves to muddy the waters of the elections.”
Laporta ‘does not fear’ Messi explanation
So far Messi has remained relatively opaque about his return, admitting that there were conversations, but noting that he was told Barcelona had to sell players in order to make the deal happen. La Liga President Javier Tebas claims that the league did not approve Messi’s return in terms of the salary limit situation, while Laporta’s version differs from both.
“We were just barely within the fair play requirements. The contract was sent to Jorge (Messi), and while waiting for his response, May arrived. At the end of the month, he told me they had decided on Inter Miami. And that’s how it ended. I don’t fear Messi or Jorge speaking out. I’m convinced they would tell the same story. We’ve always understood each other; I don’t think the story would change. We don’t want to distract from what matters to the Barca fans. We choose the people we want to represent us for the next five years. Xavi’s involvement adds nothing.”
Alejandro Echevarria ‘one of the best people I know’
Meanwhile another focus of Xavi’s interview was the role of advisor Alejandro Echevarria. Originally part of Laporta’s board during his first term, Echevarria resigned in 2005 after it became public knowledge that he was a patron of the Francisco Franco Foundation, which promotes the ‘work’ of the former Spanish dictator. He has returned to the club under Laporta, but has no official role.
“Alejandro works for the club; he’s completely trustworthy, especially regarding RFEF and La Liga matters. He’s always looking out for the balance in the dressing room. He’s one of the best people I know – intelligent, brave, and honest. He has those qualities. I have Masip, and Alejandro. Some people get paid, but Alejandro, for example, doesn’t. He has his own professional life and can be exempt from this. I’ve had advisors like Johan, who was my idol, and we had a great rapport.”
The former Blaugrana midfielder claims that Echevarria, Laporta’s ex-brother-in-law, has as much control as the former president himself, and that it was Echevarria that engineered his sacking.
“It’s not about who’s in charge. It’s my turn to lead, and I lead willingly, making decisions after considering the opinions of those around me. They want to cause harm; it’s a deliberate attempt to hurt me by attacking someone else. It’s despicable because if we look at how Xavi’s services were dismissed, Yuste and Alejandro were his staunchest defenders. They stuck it out through the indefensible. We said that things weren’t working anymore. I had to be the one to say it was over. I did it with a heavy heart; I appreciate Xavi, and I still do. If I saw him, I would try to understand why he did it.”
Elections are scheduled for this Sunday in Barcelona, where one of Font or Laporta will be elected as president for a five-year term. The latter is running for his fourth mandate.
- Ruairidh Barlow
