The Audience of Barcelona through his Judge Roberto Garcia Ceniceros upheld a complaint from three Barça members that Joan Laporta had already served four years.


The Judge ruled that according to the FC Barcelona's statutes the year ran from July to June, and that as Laporta was elected to the post on June 16, 2003 the period before the end of that month constituted his first year in office.


Laporta's four-year term would therefore have expired on June 30 this year and not on June 30, 2007 as argued by Barça team management.

An electoral process to chose a new board must be called as soon as possible.

Judge Roberto Garcia Ceniceros said in a statement this midday.


One clause in the Catalan Club statutes says that, in the event of early elections, the new president's first year in office runs from the date of the election to the end of the fiscal year, which for Barcelona is June 30.
The three plaintiffs had argued that, because Laporta took office on June 22nd of 2003, his first year in office under the club's statutes ended eight days later. Add three more years in power and his term ended at the end of last month, the plaintiffs argued.


Joan Laporta has five days to appeal this decision.