On Thursday, Barcelona take on Atletico Madrid in their first match since Joan Laporta relinquished his position as club president ahead of next month’s elections. He has been replaced by his former number two Rafa Yuste, who has stepped up from the vice-president role.
Yuste is part of the Barcelona delegation that has travelled to Madrid for the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg, with the club bringing forward their plans due to a weather warning that is in place for Thursday. Upon landing in the Spanish capital, he spoke to the media (via MD), where he was asked about Real Madrid’s decision to leave the Superleague project, which comes days after the Catalans did so.
“We have already given our version, nothing more to say. A defeat for Real Madrid? The good thing is that there is unity in Spanish football.”
Barcelona hope to start Yuste’s mini-era with a win
Yuste, who had been close to leaving Barcelona last summer after interest was shown in his services from Saudi Arabia, will be in the director’s box on Thursday, and he will hope to oversee a positive result for Hans Flick’s side at the RiyadhAir Metropolitano. A win would leave the Catalans well-placed to reach a second Copa del Rey final in a row, with the second leg to come at the Spotify Camp Nou in a few weeks’ time.
It will be a strange feeling for Barcelona fans not to see Joan Laporta at the match, but he is focused on securing his fourth mandate. He is the favourite to be re-elected as president when the election takes place in mid-March, although the likes of Victor Font and Marc Ciria will be hoping that they can claim an unlikely victory when the club’s socios go to the polls.
