Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu lost six members of the club’s board yesterday.
Barcelona Board Members Resign
The six board members
High-profile figures resigned last night, reports Joan Josep Pallas from Spanish paper La Vanguardia.
Emili Rousaud and Enrique Tombas were vice-presidents of the Catalan club. Four directors – Silvio Elias, Josep Pont, Jordi Calsamiglia and Maria Texidor – also followed suit.
Why did they resign?
The six members submitted a letter to the club’s members and fans yesterday afternoon.
The outline their disappointment with Bartomeu’s handling of disputes between players and the Barca president over wage cuts due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In their public letter, posted on La Vanguardia, the six board members said: ” ‘We would like to communicate that the directors signed below have informed President Bartomeu of our decision to irrevocably resign our positions at the club.
‘We have reached this point and see no way to reverse the ways business is managed at the club ahead of important challenges in the future and especially post-pandemic.
‘We want to stress our disappointment over the unfortunate incident with social media accounts, known as “Barcagate” in the press.”
The letter refers to Lionel Messi’s dispute with Bartomeu over the player’s 70% pay cut recently in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Barcelona playing staff agreed to a pay cut so non-playing staff could receive 100% of their wages. But Messi accused Bartomeu of putting “the players under a magnifying glass” regarding their unanimous decision to take a pay cut.
Reaction Causes Uncertainty at Barcelona
This recent large-scale resignation shows unity to oppose Bartomeu’s decisions at the club.
The resignations highlight how staff at all levels oppose the club president’s dealing with staff during the current coronavirus crisis.
Tensions between the club and Messi add to the atmosphere of unrest. Messi was in dispute with Sporting Director Eric Abidal in February. Abidal accused the players of contributing to Ernesto Valverde’s sacking in January.
There appear to be serious issues at the Camp Nou. The recent resignations are a vote of no confidence for Bartomeu.
Furthermore, Messi and the players appear to be in opposition to Bartomeu’s running of the club which could cause long-term problems for the Barca president.
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