Messi's Barcelona faces historic elections

5 footballers who left FC Barcelona disgusted 1:02

(CNN) -

Few people will envy the man chosen to be the new president of FC Barcelona.

The upcoming elections, to be held on Sunday, a few days after the arrest of four senior officials, are possibly the most important in the club's history and come at a time of crisis that seems to be deepening by the day.

The historical debts, which according to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo exceed a billion dollars, forced Barcelona to make a sale for dismissal of some of the most important figures in its squad during the summer transfer window.

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Rebuilding his decimated squad, which proved once again in the recent 4-1 against Paris Saint-Germain that he is well below the level of his European rivals, is one of the many headaches facing the incoming president.

However, the main thing on the list is the future of the club's talisman Lionel Messi.

The Argentine made his wish to leave Barcelona public last summer and it seems increasingly unlikely that he will sign a new contract, meaning that the best player in the club's history can leave for free at the end of the current season.

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"Many, many, many millions of debt for Barcelona, ​​the worst financial situation in history," Catalunya Radio journalist Ernest Macià tells CNN.

"On the pitch we can discuss it, but it seems clear that when the Champions League arrives, Barcelona will commit a public suicide in front of millions of people, receiving many goals and making it so difficult even for players like Messi, who loves the club and you would probably like to stay in Barcelona under different circumstances.

“At this point it is not easy to see Messi here next year, although there are many, many different variables that go into this equation.

Then we will see what happens in the end because the elections will take place this weekend and this is another variable in this equation, who becomes president ”.

In February, Barcelona issued a statement saying it "categorically" denied responsibility for publishing Messi's $ 672 million contract in El Mundo.

The contract would make Messi the highest paid athlete in the history of the sport, and the club assured that it will take legal action against the newspaper "for any damage that may be caused as a result of this publication."

The leak only served to increase tensions between Messi and the Barça hierarchy, which had already stretched to the breaking point after the Argentine addressed a barely veiled criticism of the board in an emotional farewell to his former teammate Luis Suárez.

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Barcelona's financial problems have been exacerbated as the club stopped promoting players from its famous academy, La Masia - which has brought footballers like Messi, Pep Guardiola, Andrés Iniesta and Xavi to the first team - and instead has opted to spend huge amounts on transfers and established star salaries.

Barcelona have reportedly spent over $ 1 billion on transfers since the 2013/14 season and many believe this shift in philosophy has eroded the club's 'More than a club' mantra, which is still painted on the seats of its historic Camp Nou stadium.

Historic elections

Even with Messi, Barcelona's future looks bleak;

without him, however, things start to get dire.

It is exactly on this premise that one of the presidential candidates bases his candidacy.

Joan Laporta, one of the three remaining men, is the current favorite to win the elections and was already president from 2003 to 2010, in one of the most successful times in the club's history.

During his previous tenure, Barcelona won 13 major trophies, including four La Liga titles and two Champions Leagues, and he hopes that nostalgia and accumulated goodwill will be crucial to securing another term.

Joan Laporta (right) hired Pep Guardiola as Barcelona coach in 2008.

"Joan Laporta is, let's say, closer to Leo Messi and the players because they lived together the best moments of their stories and of their lives," says Macià.

«According to the polls now, Joan Laporta is the first.

There have been debates and anything can happen because many people have voted by mail and it remains to be seen what influence these votes will have, for the first time in history.

The other candidates are Víctor Font and Toni Freixa, who can "split the votes," Macià says, something that would ultimately benefit Laporta.

Crucially, Font has received the backing of former Barcelona captain Carles Puyol and has based part of his presidential campaign on the idea of ​​club legend Xavi returning to become the new manager.

Freixa, by contrast, has endorsed current coach Ronald Koeman to continue the job assigned to him last summer, but has also outlined a long-term plan that would see Xavi initially assume control of Barcelona's B team. .

The election will be decided with the votes of more than 111,000 club members, or 'socis' in Catalan, most of whom are Barcelona fans.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, 22,811 members have requested to vote by mail, while the remaining 87,479 will vote in person at one of the six stations located in the cities of Barcelona, ​​Girona, Lleida, Tarragona, Tortosa and Andorra.

Macià believes that this Sunday's results are the most important in the club's history.

It is certainly difficult to think otherwise.

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