Barcelona presidential candidate takes subtle swipe at Joan Laporta over Lionel Messi’s controversial departure

After a major squad rebuild and an economic recovery, Joan Laporta is seeking re-election in order to continue his project at Barcelona. However, he has received strong criticism from a presidential candidate over the handling of Lionel Messi’s departure.

Following the heavily criticized management of Josep Maria Bartomeu, Joan Laporta took over at Barcelona, aiming for an economic recovery and a rebuild of the roster. While he did manage to carry out a successful overhaul of the squad, the departure...