Barcelona presidential elections in danger of postponement due to coronavirus

The pandemic is getting worse in Barcelona, and that is threatening to delay the elections for club president. But leading presidential candidate Joan Laporta has already spoken out against the idea, saying it would be a “grave mistake” to delay.

In an opinion piece published in Diario SPORT, Ernest Folch writes that “the most likely, if not the only, possibility is that [coronavirus] restrictions will not only be extended but also become more strict in the next days or hours” and that now “it’s only a matter of time for the elections to be officially postponed.”

Laporta has already objected, saying there is “no objective reason” to postpone the vote. “The club has to have leadership as soon as possible, it would be a grave mistake” to delay a vote, he says.

More than a hundred thousand members of the club could vote in the elections for club president, which would pose a significant problem in terms of limiting the virus’s spread.