Spain This article is more than 13 years oldBarcelona's former chairman Joan Laporta adds sex to Catalan separatism
This article is more than 13 years oldLaporta signs local porn star María Lapiedra to party, which wants to create newly independent Catalan stateA former chairman of Barcelona football club has launched himself on a political career as a populist Catalan separatist, whose backers include the region's most famous porn star.
Former club chairman Joan Laporta hopes the popularity garnered by two Champions League wins and four Spanish league titles can be turned into votes when Catalans choose a new regional government on 28 November.
His aim is to break Catalonia away from the rest of Spain and create a newly independent state. "It is time to win our independence and administer our own resources," the 48-year-old lawyer said as campaigning for the elections started last week.
Laporta's latest signing is local porn star María Lapiedra, who has thrown her support behind his new Catalan Solidarity for Independence party and has begun to appear at campaign rallies. Her appearance has earned ridicule from both rival separatists and anti-separatists.
"I don't understand all the fuss," she said after appearing at an event last week. "All I have done is change parties."
Some doubt Lapiedra's real commitment to Catalan independence. Her other passion is Spain's World Cup winning national soccer team – which many separatists refused to support on the basis that they want Catalonia to have its own.
She once appeared, naked and painted in the colours of the Spanish flag, in a video urging people to cheer for the Spanish team.
Laporta is trying to ride a wave of popular Catalan anger about the Spanish constitutional court's decision to in June to water down a new charter of regional autonomy, which had been approved at referendum.
"The path of regional autonomy has now been closed down by the constitutional court," he said.
The court's decision to strike out parts of the charter provoked massive demonstrations across Catalonia in the summer and saw a surge in those who told opinion polls that they favoured independence.
Some recent polls have shown that up to half of Catalans would now favour independence.
Polls also show that on 28 November they will oust the socialist-led coalition that currently runs the region in favour of the moderate nationalist Convergence and Union coalition led by Artur Mas. Some polls show Laporta winning at least one seat for his new party.
He was the elected chairman of FC Barcelona until June, when his second term came to an end.
During his seven years as chairman, he encouraged supporters to see the club as a substitute for a Catalan national team – even though stars such as Leo Messi, Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o came from Argentina, Brazil and Cameroon.
Laporta also made headlines for his champagne and jet-set lifestyle. A court in Barcelona last week opened an investigation into alleged irregularities in Laporta's dealing with a football club from Uzbekistan, FC Bunyodkor, where several Barcelona players were sent to oversee training sessions. An agent, Bayram Tutumlu, claims that €3m were paid in to Laporta's law firm by one of the Ukrainian club's sponsors, according to Spain's Marca newspaper.
His successor as club chairman, Sandro Rosell, has asked courts to investigate a hole in the club's accounts which was allegedly left by Laporta and his management team. Laporta vigorously denies any wrongdoing.
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