Barcelona president and entire board resigns from the club after Lionel Messi row

Barcelona club president Josep Maria Bartomeu and his entire board have handed in their resignations and will leave the club after Lionel Messi row.

The 57-year-old had come under heavy pressure to hand in his resignation amid turbulent scenes at the Catalan giants.

It comes after Bartomeu came under huge recent scrutiny, particularly after a summer in which star player Lionel Messi attempted to quit the club.

It remains to be seen who his successor will be, but it appears there will be a huge shake-up at the Nou Camp as they aim to bounce back from their few months of turmoil.

BREAKING: Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu is resigning, with the entire board set to follow him, Goal can confirm 😳 pic.twitter.com/gThVpObY3e

— Goal (@goal) October 27, 2020

A vote of no confidence motion was taken against Bartomeu, and after a meeting held on Tuesday afternoon he decided to leave on his terms.

The board tried everything to suspend or postpone the vote to the region’s authorities, but the requests were denied and their fate was sealed.

20,687 votes were gathered for the motion against the supremo, passing the threshold of 16,250 signatures – with that number now matched in terms of verified signatures from the club.

The position of Bartomeu at Barcelona had come under great scrutiny in recent times following a trophyless campaign combined with Lionel Messi’s attempted forced exit from the club, which the board blocked.

Last month, Catalan police accused the beleaguered club supremo oncorruption charges, although Bartomeu continues to deny such allegations.

His term as club president had been due to officially end next year with elections called for March, but a group of fans want to force an earlier exit this year, as per Diari Catalunya.

Bartomeu has held the position for two terms but he will nominate a ‘continuity’ candidate who is close to the incumbent and comes from a side of the club’s board which is viewed as more conservative.

The Catalan entrepreneur started in the role in 2014, following the resignation of Sandro Rosell – who was his close friend and associate who served as his vice-president.

All candidates come from different sections within the club’s hierarchy, with differing views on how the club should be run and what it stands for.