Barcelona legend Carles Puyol says he will not back Joan Laporta, or any other candidate, in the club's upcoming presidential election.
Laporta, who was Blaugrana chief during 2003-10, and outgoing president Josep Maria Bartomeu are the two big favourites for the vote, in which all club members are entitled to take part when it is held on July 18.
Bartomeu was the most favoured candidate despite issues such as the FIFA ban and Neymar signing court case, especially after last season's Treble success and new contracts signed by coach Luis Enrique and Dani Alves.
Laporta's entrance into the race, and his past links to much-loved Barca legends such as Johan Cruyff and Pep Guardiola, has however shaken things up, and fans and pundits are now waiting to see which candidates receive which high-profile endorsements.
Ex-Barca captain Puyol has the status to swing voters' intentions, and is thought unlikely to back the outgoing regime, having resigned from a position in the Camp Nou backroom staff last January just hours after Bartomeu had fired then sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta.
The now 37-year-old said in AS that he was too busy at the moment to get involved in any campaign, while saying he could see himself returning to Barca if required in the future.
"I have a lot of projects on the table, but I want to take time to take a final decision about what I will do over the coming months," Puyol said. "The truth is I have a very good relationship with Joan Laporta. With him I had the best years of my career at the Camp Nou, there is no doubt about that. Laporta knows that I am with Barca, but at the club they know they will have me available when they need me."
Other candidates already declared for the election include 2010 runner-up Agusti Benedito and Toni Freixa, a former close ally of 2010 winner Sandro Rosell, who was forced out by Bartomeu soon after "Barto" took charge following Rosell's shock resignation in January 2014.
Launching his campaign Freixa said that Barca "could not spend €180 million" every summer and needed to refocus attention on its La Masia youth system.
David Vilajoana, who would be football vice-president should Freixa win the election, pointed to the apparently imminent sale of talented winger Gerard Deulofeu to Everton as a sign that the La Masia model was not currently functioning as it had in the past.
"That a player of the talent of Gerard Deulofeu is on the point of leaving for Everton confirms the failure of the current model," Vilajoana said.
Mundo Deportivo says Everton will pay €6 million for Deulofeu, who spent the 2013-14 season on loan at Goodison Park, with Barca retaining a buy-back option.