[ad_1]
The criticized president of FC Barcelona, Josep Maria Bartomeu, has now resigned from his position contrary to what he announced on Monday. He announced it Tuesday night at an extraordinary press conference. With him the entire Barça board resigned.
“I am standing here in front of you to inform you about my resignation and that of the other members of the board,” the 57-year-old said at a press conference that was organized on short notice: “It is a well-considered and shared decision.”
Bartomeu announced his resignation at this point with important decisions to be made. “An early resignation would have created a power vacuum,” he said. For this reason, together with his Barça adviser, he had maneuvered in this difficult period: “Despite the pressure, we did not want to run away.”
“After losing the Champions League, it would have been easier to quit. But fundamental decisions had to be made to ensure the sustainable future of the club,” Bartomeu said. “That had to happen in the middle of a pandemic, we could not hand over the club to a coach with limited skills. Who would have signed a coach or player? Messi’s stay assured? Or a salary adjustment? As a board directive, we had a duty, To do that. “
Bartomeu unveils: FC Barcelona agrees to the Super League
However, Bartomeu’s resignation on Tuesday surprised him. On Monday he had ruled out such a thing. “It would be a bad time,” he said. Why the moment of Tuesday was better became clear when Bartomeu recounted his last official act. Even on his penultimate day as Barça president, Bartomeu made a momentous decision.
On Monday, he and his board of directors agreed on a European Super League in which the best clubs on the continent should compete against each other. “The decision to participate in the contest must be ratified by the next general assembly,” said Bartomeu. The Super League will guarantee “that the club remains in the hands of the members.”
Barça drama about Bartomeu: Messi and Piqué criticize
Bartomeu had been Barça president for more than six years and was the subject of massive criticism over the course of the affair that surrounded volunteer Lionel Messi in the summer. “It was assumed that we had things to hide. (…) They insulted and threatened me, like all the members of the board.”
In the wake of the riots, which were intensified by mismanagement in recent years and the 2: 8 disaster against FC Bayern in the Champions League, an initiative founded by club members had collected signatures for a motion of no confidence against Bartomeu . The objective was the immediate resignation of the entire council. Anyway, the president’s days were numbered.
More than 20,000 members signed and thus fulfilled the basis of the vote of no confidence. According to the statutes, at the beginning of November a referendum had to be held in seven places in Catalonia on the removal of the presidium. Bartomeu and company were ahead of this.
The resignation of the president was also a sensational interview by Gerard Piqué in the quality newspaper The vanguard preceded. On Friday, one day before the Clásico against Real Madrid (1: 3), the Barça central defender of the club’s leadership for a long time and Bartomeu had clearly read the act of disturbances.
In this interview, Piqué, grandson of a Barça director and a Barça partner for life, addressed all the accusations against Bartomeu and company: years of mismanagement, dealing with Messi and other club legends, ethical and moral issues, and the food. still. On Lionel Messi he said after his resignation that he should hold out. “One year, then new people come.”
Atlético of FC Barcelona under pressure to act
It won’t take a year. The Catalans can now hope that the power vacuum in top management will not have a negative impact on sporting events. After some games of the season, Barça cannot afford any more setbacks. Just seven points from five games, plus the Clásico lost to archrival Real Madrid – new coach Ronald Koeman is already under pressure.
And the Dutchman left an anything but stable impression after the bankruptcy against Los Blancos, but, like the board, he unprofessionally criticized the referee. The former Bondscoach has yet to turn his star team into a functional team. World champion Antoine Griezmann has also remained below his means until now.
Therefore, Barcelona are more dependent on Messi than ever, but the superstar is also currently weak. The super coach has only scored two goals this season, but he remained pale in the failed Clásico, and was still one of the best Catalans on the field. Almost inevitably, there is a climate of crisis at Barça. And not just sports.
[ad_2]
