‘Disappointed and upset’ Laporta ‘expected’ Barcelona embarrassment

Robin Bairner

• 15 Sep 2021 09:45 CDT
• 3 min read

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has come out following his side’s 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League and pledged to solve the current crisis that grips the club.

Barca turned in a lamentable display against Bayern at Camp Nou, failing to muster even a single shot on target as they went down to a chastening loss in their first match of the competition.

The defeat was met with lengthy talks into the night among the board, with rumours that Ronald Koeman already finds himself under pressure and could be sacked in the near future.

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Laporta has now sent a message to fans, pleading for patience regarding the present situation.

“Hello Culers, I am as disappointed and upset as all of you are,” he said via a video message. “I need to tell you what is happening is one of the situations that we expected. And I ask you for patience and that you continue supporting our team.

“I also ask you trust us, the people who are managing the club. We need your trust and time, and do not doubt that we will solve this situation. Thank you very much and Visca el Barca!”

It has become abundantly clear just how perilous Barcelona’s situation is over the past couple of months.

Laporta had initially been bullish over the possibility of Lionel Messi re-signing for the club but had to give up that ambition when it became clear it was impossible. Then, there was trouble registering the new summer signings – Eric Garcia, Sergio Aguero and Memphis Depay – due to the wage limits imposed upon the club by La Liga.

However, with Barcelona over €1 billion in debt, there will be no quick solutions to the problem.

Barca’s 3-0 loss to Bayern Munich may only be the start of a sharp decline in competitiveness in Europe, with Benfica and Dynamo Kyiv vying with them to qualify from Champions League Group E.