Barcelona presidential hopeful Joan Laporta has vowed to adopt ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ if he returns to the helm at the Camp Nou.
Before any fans of the Catalan giants go apoplectic, there are no plans to abandon the club’s iconic Cant del Barca ‘hymn’, first performed back in 1974 as part of their 75th anniversary celebrations.
Rather than running out to the famous Kop anthem, Merseybeat group Gerry and the Pacemakers’ cover version of the song originally from the 1945 US musical Carousel, Laporta, who was previously in charge between 2003-10, instead wants to use the words as a slogan.
The 58-year-old confirmed on Monday that he will stand for president, with a new club chief being voted in on January 24.
ESPN reports that as part of his manifesto, La Masia (The Farmhouse, Barca’s famed youth academy) will form the backbone of his campaign and will undergo a rebrand if he wins.
Laporta said: "La Masia will be a personalised accompaniment to the player, under the slogan of 'You Will Never Walk Alone.’
“We want it to become a Centre for High Performance and Sport Excellence, but also for personal development, where the treatment of athletes is not generic but one-on-one.
“We will do this with special care for the values that make up strong personalities and that we can be proud of: we want athletes who love Barca.”
The words ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ now appear on Liverpool FC’s official crest while fans of several other teams also sing the song, including Celtic and manager Jurgen Klopp’s previous club, Borussia Dortmund.
