[ad_1]
Josep Maria Bartomeu has resigned as Barcelona president.
Catalan publication SPORT dropped the big news today after an emergency meeting at the club in which the 57-year-old finally decided to step down.
Both Bartomeu and his Board of Directors faced a vote of no confidence from fans, but the president said Monday that he would not resign.
However, Bartomeu eventually wanted to leave on his own terms rather than face the wrath of supporters and his six-year reign of terror in Catalonia finally ended.
Lionel Messi infamously criticized the former president this summer for his catastrophic handling of the club’s affairs and the Argentine even threatened to leave the club.
On Monday, Bartomeu spoke about the Messi’s incident and was even optimistic about his future at Barcelona.
“Our priority was to keep Messi as part of our new project, so I decided not to start a discussion,” he told Goal.
“They had accused me of forcing him out to balance our accounts. Well, no, we prioritized the interests of the club and we did not want to reinforce a direct rival. We made that decision knowing that we would be criticized for that.
“I understand everyone’s positions, empathy is important. In Leo’s case, it is good to be angry because it is not good to accept defeat and we have all gotten angry.
“The project is very interesting with young people and veterans, like Messi. And I think that, with him, we are going to win a title this season.”
More to follow …
News Now – Sports News
[ad_2]
