Barcelona appoint former Catalan interior minister Joaquim Forn to lead corporate governance

Barcelona have appointed former Catalan interior minister Joaquim Forn as the club’s new head of corporate governance in a move that has attracted attention in Catalonia and beyond.

The appointment, approved on Monday, was reported by the television programme La Porteria on Beteve and confirmed by Mundo Deportivo. Forn will lead Barcelona’s corporate governance department, with the club seeking to strengthen its internal management structure and impose greater discipline on decision-making.

His role will include helping ensure that decisions taken within the organisation remain consistent with the objectives approved by the board of directors. The appointment brings extensive political and legal experience to one of football’s biggest clubs as it seeks to reinforce the way its institution is managed.

Forn is a law graduate who spent many years working in politics at Barcelona City Council. In July 2017, he became interior minister in the Government of Catalonia.

His time in office was short-lived. He was forced to resign in October of the same year after being prosecuted over allegations that he had supported the independence referendum held on 1 October.

Forn was later imprisoned at Estremera prison alongside eight other ministers. In 2019, he was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison.

After a lengthy legal battle, Forn received a general amnesty in 2021 and was released.

In recent years, he has worked within the legal services of the Mediapro Group. He will now bring his legal background, strategic perspective and institutional leadership to Barcelona’s corporate governance operation.

The appointment marks a new phase in the club’s approach to governance, with responsibility for a key administrative area placed in the hands of a former senior Catalan government official. Barcelona’s stated aim is to strengthen its governance model and ensure that the club’s internal decisions follow the direction set by its board.