Barcelona presidential candidate blames dirty tricks for derailing his bid to lead the club

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There are just two days remaining before Barcelona’s members elect their new president.

Sunday, March 7, could be a monumental day in the club’s history as, perhaps more than any other election held previously, the members have to get their decision exactly right for a number of reasons.

The Camp Nou needs modernising, Barca are over one billion pounds in debt, Lionel Messi’s contract ends this summer…

Whoever comes in has quite the job on their hands, with Joan Laporta, Victor Font and Toni Freixa going all out in the last hours to hammer home their respective messages.

Font has even gone as far as telling Sport that he believes dirty tricks are in play, which would almost certainly lead to him not ascending to the top job.

Asked by the outlet if dirty tricks had been employed and what exactly had been manipulated during the campaign, Font was forthright.

“What I can’t tolerate is lies, cynicism and twisting the truth to basically remove credibility. In this case, towards me,” he said.

“[…] I have seen things in this electoral process that would make a book.

“[…] Everything I am seeing strengthens my belief that it’s urgent to turn the page and for Barcelona to change from top to bottom. The club’s current model is opaque, with a lot of dark interests at play.

“[…] There always is [dirty tricks] because there are personal interests at play.

“Many stigmas have been hung on us. That we have I don’t know who behind us, denying the evidence, for example, of our sporting structure…”

His outburst might be seen as the wailings of an already beaten man, or one last ploy to try and sway the voters who are expected to come out in their thousands on Sunday.

By the start of next week, Font will know whether his diatribe has had the desired effect or not.

More Stories Joan Laporta Lionel Messi Toni Freixa Victor Font