Barcelona president plunges the club into further turmoil

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu got the resignations he wanted and then some.

Somehow someway Barcelona manage to make the front pages for all the wrong reasons and while no football is being played.

Many were taken aback when news emerged that president Josep Maria Bartomeu was calling for the resignation of four board members including Emili Rousaud who was in line to be Bartomeu’s successor. Disloyalty was the main reason thrown about for the president’s decision.

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Bartomeu got the resignations he was gunning for along with two others that he was not expecting.

La Vanguardia broke the news that along with Rousaud, Enrique Tombas, Silvio Elías, Josep Pont, Maria Teixidór  and Jordi Casalmiglia resigned.

To make matters worse, there is a possibility that more resignations could be on the way.

The crux of the issue stems from the negotiations with the players about reducing their wages amid the coronavirus epidemic.

When an agreement was reached, many of the players, including Lionel Messi, took to Instagram to denounce the criticism coming from the club and that reducing their wages was always part of the plan.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Bartomeu wanted to keep the negotiations discreet as CEO Oscar Grau was the only other person alongside him during the talks.

However, once teams like Bayern Munich and Juventus had reached agreements on their players’ salaries, some members of the Barcelona board members started to criticize the team for not coming to an agreement sooner. Some were feeling left out because they were not being told how the negotiations were coming along.

There is no other word to call this situation other than a mess. Bartomeu tried to exert his influence and make a bold move and it appears to have blown up in his face. He finds himself with fewer and fewer allies and has undoubtedly made political enemies which could come back to haunt him.

He’s destabilized the club and some very important people are no longer there. Maria Teixidó was responsible for different aspects involving Barça Femeni and now she’s gone. His succession plan is also out the window.

The reason more resignations could be on the horizon is because those who are left believe Bartomeu is trying to exert too much power and remove those who may get in his way. Rousaud was critical about the social media scandal and Casalmiglia was calling for early elections.

Bartomeu’s reign as president is set to last for only one more season. After what has transpired and the numerous scandals this season alone, the likelihood of early elections increases. One thing is for certain, whatever legacy he hoped to leave behind will now be tarnished no matter which way one looks at it.