Barcelona president, Josep Maria Bartomeu has resigned, with the entire board also stepping down from their posts.
The news comes just three days after Barca’s 3-1 El Clasico defeat to Real Madrid at the Nou Camp.
It brings to an end a six-year spell for Bartomeu in the role, after he replaced Sandro Rosell in 2014.
Bartomeu‘s decision comes after several months of criticism in the wake of Barcelona’s 8-2 Champions League elimination to Bayern Munich, as well as Lionel Messi‘s shocking request to leave the club shortly after.
It was the first season they had not won any silverware since the 2007/08 campaign.
Although the club was able to keep hold of Messi, with the longtime Barca star staying to avoid having to take the club to court, Bartomeu‘s position has been under scrutiny for months.
Read Also: Breaking: Messi To Remain At Barcelona, Gives Reason
The President had been due to officially end his tenure next year, with elections called for March, but the club’s members called for a vote of no confidence in an effort to get Bartomeu out immediately.
A total of 20,687 votes from Barca supporters were gathered for the motion against Bartomeu, passing the threshold of 16,250 signatures required for a voter of club members to go ahead.
Barca board repeatedly tried to postpone the vote but, on Monday, local authorities rejected the club’s push to delay the proceedings.
As a result, the vote was set to go ahead on November 1, but will no longer be necessary as Bartomeu and the board have stepped down just 24 hours after Monday‘s meeting.
