Barça’s Leadership Shuffle: Elections Loom as New Faces Align with Laporta
23 January 2026
Election changes at Barcelona
The forthcoming Barcelona board elections will bring a slate of changes, with some faces leaving their posts and others keeping their seats in the new administration.
Secretary Josep Cobils, Mikel Camps, and Javier Barbani will stay on the board, alongside Rafa Yusti, who will assume the acting presidency from February until July 1.
Laporta-aligned candidates include Elena Fort, Joan Soler, Xavi Boig, Josep Ignasi Masia, Angel Riudalbas, and Sisco Puyol, while Eduard Romeo has signaled a possible return.
Rules, leadership and timeline
Under Barça's bylaws, the election scheduled for March 15 does not grant the winner the post until July 1, when the current board formally winds down.
Article 35.4 adds that if at least one third of the board remains at term end, there is no need for an interim committee.
Rafa Yusti, as first vice president, will lead the board through the campaign with a minimum of five other members to reach the six needed.
Laporta has until February 23 to file nominations, a deadline that could shape the lineup before any resignation.
The position of treasurer Ferran Olivi remains undecided, and his disputes with Romeo have kept him away from the last board meeting; he will stay on the interim board to close the 2025-26 accounts.
As acting president, Yusti will be empowered to take important club decisions, unlike the temporary committee whose powers are limited.
Punchline 1: If Barça’s bylaws were any tighter, they’d be a defense wall—and we’d still be arguing about passports at the line.
Punchline 2: This campaign feels like a transfer window for bylaws—lots of hype, lots of paperwork, and somehow still no guarantee of a trophy-shaped outcome.
