The Catalan Giant has confirmed that Josep Maria Bartomeu has quit the club’s presidency and has left the Nou Camp club, along with his entire board of directors.
According to the Spanish outlet Sport report, many directors on the board also followed Bartomeu out of the club following an urgent meeting three days after Barcelona lost 3-1 at home to Real Madrid.
The erstwhile president has been in charge of Barcelona since 2014 but has faced increasing pressure to leave following public criticism from Barca icon Lionel Messi and a host of other players over his leadership.
The 57 years old Spanish entrepreneur was faced with many backlashes by handling the Messi saga this summer, which almost caused the six-time Ballon d’Or winner to quit his boyhood club after 20 years.
While Bartomeu has been calling the shots in Barcelona for years, the club is supporter-owned, and it is claimed fans came together and got the required number of signatures to initiate a no-confidence vote.
But the chief has decided to leave of his own accord, rather than be forced out.