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Barcelona president Joan Laporta has said women are finally getting deserved recognition in football and predicted the club will have a female president within the next 10 years. Barca elect a new president every six years, with Laporta chosen by the club's members in March to return for a second spell in the role. - Stream LaLiga LIVE on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
- Don't have ESPN? Get instant access All 41 people to have previously presided over the club since its foundation in 1899 have been men, but Laporta is hopeful that trend will change in the not-too-distant future. "Barcelona will have a female president inside 10 years," he predicted on Sunday in an interview with TV3, which was recorded in June. "It is long overdue that women are given the recognition they deserve and have earned. A trend has been created and that's a good thing. There are a lot of women capable of being on the board and I think in less than 10 years one will be president." There has been an increasing female presence in the Barca boardroom in recent years, although it is still a male-dominated arena at the club. Teresa Basilio, Marta Plana and Maria Teixidor were all given roles by previous president Josep Maria Bartomeu, while Elena Fort is operating as one of Laporta's vice presidents. "Elena's prepared to be Barca president because she has all the qualities you need for the job," Laporta added when asked directly about Fort, who also works as a lawyer in Catalonia. Barca are one of the leading clubs in Europe when it comes to investing in women's football and they were rewarded for their investment by winning the Treble last season, including a first-ever Champions League trophy. Previous Barca men's coach Ernesto Valverde said in 2019 that "in time, maybe there will be a female coach of Barca's men's team because things are going to keep advancing."
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