Barca boss Laporta eyes final flourish

Rumours of dressing room discontent have been dogging Barcelona since Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o launched a verbal tirade against coach Frank Rijkaard and Ronaldinho in February.

Their elimination from the Champions League, the competition Barcelona lit up on way to winning the final at the expense of Arsenal in Paris last May, gave their fierce critics further ammunition with which to attack the Catalan giants.

For a big club like Barcelona, going out of the Champions League at the first knock out stage verges on the catastrophic but their president Joan Laporta was the epitome of graciousness when commenting on his team's premature exit from Europe's top competition.

"This is football," was Laporta's prompt reply to my question about Barcelona's elimination at the hands of Liverpool.

"You just have to accept defeat... Liverpool were the better team and they deserved to go through.

"Now that we are out of the Champions League, we are more motivated to win the domestic title and the King's Cup, the latter being an important competition in Spain.

"If we win these two competitions, we will turn this season into a success."

Barcelona currently lead the Primera Liga with 56 points, one ahead of Sevilla and two more than rivals Real Madrid. Ronaldinho and company missed a chance to consolidate top spot last weekend after slipping to an unexpected 1-0 defeat to Real Zaragoza.

Laporta doesn't see a clear favourite for Champions League glory. "The remaining teams are all strong," the 45-year-old lawyer said.

"The Champions League is a very difficult competition to succeed in. Teams have to be at their best in every game because the outcome often hinges on episodes.

"Even the slightest of mistakes can prove costly."

On-going transfer speculation has Barcelona lining up multi-million bids for a host of stalwarts.

Laporta was reluctant to discuss potential inward and outward activity at the Nou Camp next summer but he did confirm the club's plans to reinforce their squad.

"We want to concentrate on this season," Laporta stressed. "There's plenty of time to talk about next season but we will surely do our best to strengthen our squad.

"We already have many good players at Barcelona and, more importantly, we still have faith in their abilities to lead the club to more success."

Is there any truth in persistent speculation that Barcelona have set their sights on Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo?

"It's up to our general manager to identify Barcelona's transfer targets," Laporta responded.

It says a lot about Laporta's hands-on approach to the club presidency that he represents Barcelona on the European Club Forum (ECF).

His role also sheds a positive light on the growing importance of the ECF.

"The ECF is the best platform to promote and defend the interests of all clubs in Europe," Laporta remarked.

"It is the only official body within UEFA dedicated solely to clubs. UEFA deserve credit for giving us the opportunity to work together."

As one of the 11 members of the ECF board, Laporta has a close working relationship with John Borg, Malta's representative.

The two have been instrumental in acquiring official recognition for the newly-formed Barcelona Supporters' Club in Malta.

Laporta thinks very highly of Borg.

"John Borg is a capable person," Laporta remarked.

"He's certainly doing a very good job in promoting the interests of the smaller clubs that make up the Blue Group.

"I regard Borg as a great friend. I hope that we continue to work together in the interests of our clubs for a long time.

"In club football, the issues and problems are the same across the board, they only differ in dimension.

"This growing sense of solidarity among the clubs can only be good for the game."