President Barca Josep Maria Bartomeu Mundur
JAKARTA - Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu officially resigns from his post. All other club officials also followed the steps taken by Bartomeu.
Bartomeu's decision came after months of criticism after Barcelona were humiliated by Bayern Munich 2-8 in the Champions League, as well as Lionel Messi's surprise request to leave the club shortly thereafter.
Although Messi ultimately decided to stay, Bartomeu has been asked to leave his post by supporters over the past few months.
Bartomeu officially has a term until next year, with presidential elections being held in March but club members are calling for a vote of no confidence in an attempt to overthrow him immediately.
A total of 20,687 votes were cast for the motion, crossing the limit of the 16,250 signatures required for voting to continue. Barca's board repeatedly tried to postpone the vote, but on Monday (local time) local authorities rejected the club's attempts to delay the process.
That way, voting will continue in the coming weeks, but it will no longer be needed as Bartomeu and the board of directors have resigned.
Bartomeu initially joined the ranks of the Los Blaugrana during the presidency of Joan Laporta and took office as president in January 2014.
He replaces Sandro Rosell and becomes Barcelona's 40th president when he signs a contract to complete Rosell's remaining tenure following his resignation.
During his tenure, Bartomeu saw Barca win four LaLiga and one Champions League trophy in 2014-15, but his tenure in charge has largely been deemed a failure in his final season.
Bartomeu has struggled to build a competitive squad in the transfer market since Neymar's departure for Paris Saint-Germain. Barca even ended the 2019-20 season without a title.
Their 2-8 defeat to Bayern only further exacerbated the situation at Barcelona, with Messi's request to leave being the final blow to Bartomeu.
Bartomeu ended his time at Barca after nearly seven years in the top position at the Catalonia club.