Xavi took aim at Laporta in his interview, claiming he was misled by the president.
At Sunday's presidential debate against Victor Font, Laporta responded to Xavi's accusations: "It surprised me. And it hurt. It's tough being president of Barça because you have to make very difficult decisions, like sacking Xavi.
"The facts tell me I was right, because with Xavi we would still be losing. I understand he's hurt, because with the same players he had and was losing, (Hansi) Flick is winning. It also hurts that he let himself be used and that, to hurt me, he attacked Alejandro Echevarría, who, along with (Rafael) Yuste, were the ones who defended Xavi the most.
"He wanted to smear me. He let himself be used by Víctor Font, who is behind him and wants to tarnish the process."