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Josep Maria Bartomeu walks a tightrope in Barcelona. The president has come under intense pressure to resign this year and now faces a vote of no confidence against him. If that vote is approved, Bartomeu will become the first president in Barcelona’s history to be removed in this way. We have analyzed the reasons why your position is increasingly threatened and why you might jump before being pushed.
Sports crisis
The 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League in August was the catalyst for change in Barcelona.
Much of the core of the team that had suffered humiliating exits from the Champions League to Juventus, Rome and Liverpool moved over the summer. On the bench, Quique Setién – who had only replaced the fired Ernesto Valverde in January – was relieved of his duties.
Four coaches and five sports directors
Under Bartomeu’s leadership, Barcelona have seen four coaches come and go: Luis Enrique, Valverde, Setien and now Ronald Koeman. In the technical department, Bartomeu has also chaired five different sports directors, including Andoni Zubizarreta, Robert Fernández, Pep Segura, Eric Abidal and now Ramon Planes.
Messi’s conflict
After leaving the Champions League to Bayern, Lionel Messi submitted a transfer request that started an internal war at the Camp Nou. In the end, Bartomeu refused to let the Argentine out, with legal complications that got in the way of a move to Manchester City. Later, Messi publicly criticized the Barcelona management and accused Bartomeu of breaking promises.
Vote of no confidence
A total of 20,687 people signed the motion of censure against Bartomeu, a club record. The validation process confirmed that a vote will take place to decide the future of Bartomeu.
The weight of the story
Bartomeu doesn’t want to be the first Barcelona president to face a successful vote of no confidence, just as he didn’t want to be the president who let Messi go.
Barcagate
Barcelona is under investigation after employing the i3Ventures business to monitor social media. The criminal investigation does not rule out that Bartomeu and other members of its board of directors in Barcelona are declared suspects.
Resignations from the board
After the Barcagate scandal came to light, several directors of the club’s board of directors resigned. Among them were Emili Rousaud, Enrique Tombas, Silvio Elias, Josep Pont, Maria Teixidor and Jordi Calsamiglia.
Delicate finances
Obviously, the coronavirus pandemic is not Bartomeu’s fault. It has seriously affected the club’s finances this year but, in truth, Barcelona were already in financial difficulties. In the 2019/20 season, the club lost 97 million euros and its budget for this season has been reduced by 25 percent to a projected 791 million euros.
Barca space
The cost of Bartomeu’s great project as president has gone from 600 million euros to 1.25 billion euros. The statement of intent has been positive, but redevelopment work on the site has yet to begin.
Social peace
If Bartomeu resigned, it could ease the outrage that many Barcelona fans feel towards the club at the moment. If Bartomeu resigns, the club could rebuild its reputation, making the most of the clean slate with its fan base.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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