Aditya Anamey Das
October 27, 2020
FC Barcelona’s entire board, including club president Josep Bartomeu, resigned on Tuesday after a 3-1 loss to long-time arch-rivals Real Madrid.
Barcelona loses 3-1 to Real Madrid on Saturday
(Image source: Scroll.in)
The decision came after a vote of no confidence was taken by thousands of fans against the club president earlier this month. Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Real Madrid proved to be the last domino to fall for the club’s management. The tension that culminated with the resignation of the board had been building up for a long time.
The board’s criticism started earlier in the summer after superstar Lionel Messi publicly accused Bartomeu following Barcelona’s notorious 8-2 loss to FC Bayern München in the champion’s league quarterfinals. He wanted out but was being made to stay for the final year of his contract. Messi accused the club’s president of lacking vision and leadership.
Barcelona’s slow start to the season did not help the management’s case either. Barcelona’s 3-1 loss against Real Madrid put them at a 6-point deficit against long-time arch-rivals. This was the first time Real Madrid recorded a back to back win against the Catalans since 2007-2008. This was also Messi’s seventh straight El Classico where the argentine failed to score. It’s been clear to the football club’s fans that something needed to change.
In the absence of any administration, an interim board headed by Charles Tusquets, an economics professor at the Barcelona University, will take control till the next presidential elections. Bartomeu might have to face some legal drama over the club’s financing issues since his appointment in 2014.
The future looks uncertain for the club as FC Barcelona is trying to find its way out of murky waters. With the recent decision to join the European Super League, we can all hope FC Barcelona will somehow find its way back to its glory days.
Source: (Barca Blaugranes, scroll.in, firstpost.com, sportskeeda, Hindustan Times, The Guardian, talkSPORT)
Edited by Aditya Das