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Josep Maria Bartomeu released a bombshell after throwing in the towel.
That is the opinion of Spain after the affirmation of the outgoing president of Barcelona that he had ratified the club’s participation in a European Super League before his resignation.
In the course of a 30-minute statement, Bartomeu and the rest of the board of directors resigned before a vote of no confidence to be held next month. The agreement to join the proposed European league should be ratified by the club members.
“I can announce extraordinary news,” said Bartomeu. (On Monday), the board of directors approved the requirements to participate in a future European Super League, a project promoted by the big clubs in Europe ”.
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Last week, Sky News reported that a £ 4.6 billion funding package had been put in place for a breakaway league, which would feature up to 18 clubs from Europe’s five major leagues, and is supported by Liverpool and Manchester United.
In response, La Liga president Javier Tebas said Bartomeu’s comments confirmed his “ignorance” about the soccer industry and described the Superliga as “a weak and imaginary competition.”
Tebas tweeted: “Too bad that Bartomeu announced on his last day the participation in a phantom competition, which would be the ruin of Barcelona, ratifying his ignorance in the football industry.”
Was Bartomeu trying to divert attention from the turmoil in Barcelona? Presidential elections were due to be held in March, but by resigning now, he jumped before he was pushed. Some 20,000 fans signed a petition demanding his resignation.
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“It’s a huge story and a long time ago,” said Spanish soccer expert Semra Hunter. Sky sports. “If you ask a lot of fans, they will tell you this should have happened a long time ago.
“I had one last card to play, and that was to try to delay the referendum on the vote of no confidence to November 15 given the current situation in Spain with the coronavirus, but the Catalan government refused, saying that it will have to take place at the Camp Nou on November 1.
“He knew there was no way he would get out of it alive after 20,000 members had already voted against him to get him out. There was no way he would get out of it. He felt like if he was going to go anyway, he might as well be the one. do it instead.
“It became a matter of pride, to avoid more humiliations than he already has. He will continue to be the least loved president of Barcelona.”
Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué has been frank against the board
Bartomeu was in no mood to leave quietly, left stage. He called the government’s decision irresponsible in his speech, while thanking the club and saying he couldn’t have resigned earlier.
He had felt growing resentment in the past year due to the club’s worsening finances and the team’s decline on the pitch, which came to a head with their 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the Champions League in August.
The 57-year-old had come under fire after striker Lionel Messi requested a transfer after Lisbon’s humiliation, but Bartomeu confessed on Tuesday that he had stayed because it was the only way to keep the Argentine at the club.
Amid mounting financial pressure and the battle to retain Messi, Bartomeu explained: “After being eliminated from the Champions League, the easiest thing was to leave. The easiest thing was to resign.
Lionel Messi was embroiled in a civil war with the club in summer
“But we could not leave the club in the hands of an interim board with limited powers. Who would have found the new coach? Who would have been in charge of the transfers? Who would have fought for Leo Messi to stay? Who would have executed the budget?” cuts? “
However, this has been felt for a long time. The writing was on the wall after Saturday’s 3-1 home loss to Real Madrid in El Clásico, despite Bartomeu’s attempts to convince the Catalan government to reject the vote of no confidence due to the pandemic of coronavirus, but it did not yield.
In Spain, those ‘partners’ who had turned their backs on the outgoing president woke up to headlines saying that Bartomeu had ‘thrown in the towel’, according to Sport.
Despite all the problems off the field, the results on the field at the beginning of Ronald Koeman’s reign have contributed to his departure. Having appointed their former player as coach in the closed season, Barça have won just two of their first five league games, including Saturday’s loss to Madrid at an empty Camp Nou.
The Spanish publication Sport leads with ‘Bartomeu throws in the towel’ with ‘Resignado’ on the cover of Mundo Deportivo
After a trophy-less 2019/20 campaign, this always felt like a transitional period with Bartomeu still around. But now that a referendum is no longer necessary for his removal, Barcelona hopes the news will end a tumultuous period in its long and illustrious history.
With Bartomeu walking, Messi is likely to extend his stay beyond his current contract, which expires next summer. There will be elections in the coming weeks to designate the new executive board.
Former president Joan Laporta and Víctor Font are among the favorites to succeed Bartomeu, but whoever is appointed would do well to establish a strong relationship with the club’s talisman. Acting President Carles Tusquets is bound to call elections in the next three months as Barcelona enters a brave new era.
Show real fighting qualities … but still inferior
Karim Benzema dragged Madrid back into the competition in the 87th minute
Real Madrid made life difficult enough with their first Champions League loss to Shakhtar Donetsk, and while they were able to mount an unlikely late comeback to draw against Borussia Monchengladbach on Tuesday, they remain last in Group B of face his double head. with Inter Milan.
The Spanish pages highlighted the unwavering attitude of Real, having scored two goals in the final minutes through Karim Benzema and Casemiro, after Thibaut Courtois made a vital save to prevent Alassane Plea from adding double Marcus Thuram.
Real were looking down and had been messed up at halftime, where a video of Benzema telling Ferland Mendy not move to Vinicius Jr because he was “playing against us” has gone viral, underscoring the belief that the club is one defeat away from another crisis.
The Spanish newspaper Marca leads with ‘Never give up, the first commandment of Madrid’, while AS headlines ‘A point from faith’
Zinedine Zidane was under immense pressure and might as well have walked if his team had been beaten at El Clásico, but when it comes to the Champions League, he won’t panic. Real have always qualified in the group stage of the competition, having only had one point after two games last season, and still reached the round of 16 with plenty to spare.
The Frenchman said: “The result shows the character of this team. We deserved to draw and I think we could achieve more. I like the reaction and it is an important point. We played well throughout the game, but it is true that we lacked something because we did not win. We believe in the plan and we deserved the draw. “
Real were boosted by the return to fitness of Eden Hazard, who made his first appearance of the season as a substitute.
The Belgian has struggled to justify his £ 130m transfer since moving to the Spanish capital in the summer of 2019, but will have to be handled with care given the rapid schedule change, with crucial encounters with Inter de Milan next month that they will finally decide Real’s fate in the Champions League.
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