Breaking: Barcelona president Bartomeu steps down
Josep Maria Bartomeu has resigned as president of Barcelona, taking his entire board of directors with him.
Under increasing pressure in recent months yet seemingly determined to cling on to power despite the on-going crisis at the club, the decision to walk away en masse was finally agreed during a board meeting on Tuesday evening.
The 57-year-old will not now face the vote of no confidence brought against him by club members and will leave with immediate effect. Indeed, the decision to resign was reached after the Catalan government refused to postpone the no-confidence motion until mid-November as the board had proposed.
An interim board will take over and prepare for presidential elections. Bartomeu and his board may face civil action holding them personally liable for the budgetary shortfall over the period of his administration since 2015.
