FC Barcelona captain Raphinha and President Joan Laporta were caught having what was described as a … [+]
FC Barcelona captain Raphinha and President Joan Laporta were caught having what was described as a “tense chat” for “more than a minute” following public comments the Brazilian made regarding Dani Olmo and Pau Victor’s registration row at a prematch press conference on Tuesday evening.
The two Spaniards aren’t allowed to play at present after their temporary licenses expired on December 31.
Laporta did some manoeuvring by selling VIP boxes to the Spotify Camp Nou, which is still yet to be renovated, for a reported $103.6 million (€100 million) fee.
And while that allowed the Catalans to finally return to the 1:1 rule under Financial Fair Play (FFP) limits, La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) still refused to give Barca’s only summer signings the green light to play the rest of the 2024/2025 season.
At a prematch press conference to preview Wednesday’s Spanish Super Cup semifinal meeting with Athletic Club, Raphinha was asked about the debacle and first said: “The truth is that it’s a complicated situation, only those who are in the situation can tell you what they feel or what they can decide”.
“It’s a situation where they have to wait to see what’s going to happen. At the club they tell us that they are positive things are going to be resolved as quickly as possible, but it’s a complicated situation and for Dani and Pau it’s difficult to deal with,” Raphinha continued.
Then asked whether he believes the dilemma could stand in the way of the Blaugrana being able to make signings in the future, and make players second guess joining it, Raphinha answered: “I think so.”
“I can’t say no, because otherwise I would lie to you and I’m not the type of person who likes to lie or tell stories. If I were at another club and I was seeing the situation that Pau and Dani are [going through], I would surely think about it, if I was coming here or going to another club.”
“But when I signed for Barca I knew the situation at the club, I saw that I had a percentage chance of playing in this shirt and I waited until the last moment and I don’t regret anything,” the Brazil international reflected, with his 2022 transfer from Leeds United only possible once President Joan Laporta pulled his famous “economic levers”.
Barca then trained following a joint press conference held by Raphinha and head coach Hansi Flick. During it, Raphinha and Laporta were filmed by El Mundo reporter Abraham Romero having what was described as a “tense” chat in other corners.
Romero said that it lasted more than a minute, and that Laporta talked the most.
“All this after the Brazilian’s statement in a press conference stating that if he played for another club, he would think about whether it would be best to sign for Barca,” Romero further explained.
Though nothing as drastic can happen in the immediate aftermath of Raphinha’s remarks considering how different player and manager arrangements are, it is worth remembering how head coach Flick’s predecessor Xavi Hernandez was fired in 2024 when publicly discussing Barca’s financial hamstrings and how they affect being able to keep up with Real Madrid.
At the same time, COPE‘s Helena Condis shared MARCA‘s clip of the incident which she says shows Raphinha going “to look for Laporta before starting training” rather than him being summoned by the president as has been suggested.
“It is the player who goes to find the President and shakes his hand. They then engage in a brief one-minute conversation,” she added.
