The club president resigned amid the fallout of his feud with star Lionel Messi, and on his way out revealed the Spanish club wants to join a potential new super league of elite European teams.
Advertisement
FC Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu resigned from the club on Tuesday after nearly 20,000 fans signed a petition demanding that he step down.
Bartomeu was supposed to face a vote of no confidence next month. The rest of the board of directors at the Spanish football club also resigned.
"It's a composed and relaxed decision, agreed with all my fellow directors," said Bartomeu in an official announcement.
An election for Bartomeu's replacement will take place within the next three months, but it is expected to happen well before three months' time. An interim board will be put in charge until his successor is named.
FC Barcelona fans protested the club after Messi announced his intent to leave the club due to a lack of direction. He eventually stayedImage: picture-alliance/NurPhoto/A. Llop
Bartomeu was in control of the club for six years. During that time, they won the 2015 UEFA Champions League crown, four consecutive Copa Del Ray titles from 2015 to 2018, and four La Liga titles. But the backlash over superstar Lionel Messi's near departure over the summer, as well as a lack of recent form, trophies and financial stability proved too much.
"[Bartomeu] didn't end up keeping his word," said Messi, during a September interview with football website Goal, adding "it has been a long time since there has been a project or anything at all. They are always juggling and plugging gaps."
FC Barcelona announced earlier this month that the club lost €97 million ($114 million) for last season, and its debt swelled to €488 million.
Football Money League: the richest football clubs on the planet
Barcelona top Deloitte's Football Money League for the very first time, surpassing archrivals Real Madrid as the world's richest club. Bayern Munich in fourth are the only Bundesliga club in the top 10.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/J. Monfort
Barcelona - 840.8 million euros
The Catalans top the Money League for the very first time and are the first football club ever to generate an annual revenue of more than €800 million. Barca have increased their revenue by more than €150m compared to 2019 after bringing merchandizing and licensing activities in-house. The club's biggest asset remains Lionel Messi. The Argentinian superstar is not for sale.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/J. Monfort
Real Madrid - 757.3 million euros
Barcelona's archrivals Real Madrid have dropped to second place after a year of mixed results on the pitch. The 13-times European champions increased their revenue by only 0.99 percent from last year (€750.9m) but that could change again in 2020. The club from the Spanish capital are after the signatures of big names such as Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappé to usher in a new Galacticos era.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/H. Ammar
Manchester United - 711.5 million euros
Two years ago, the Red Devils topped the Deloitte ranking but now Manchester United are back down to third, just as in 2019. The 20-times English champions increased their revenue by almost 50 million euros this year but, with on-pitch struggles again leaving Champions League qualification in doubt, they are in danger of being superceded by local rivals Manchester City in next year's Money League.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/empics/M. Rickett
Bayern Munich - 660.1 million euros
New Bayern president Herbert Hainer (left) has inherited a healthy club from Uli Hoeness (right). The Bavarian giants increased their revenue by €31m this year, but an extended deal with automobile partner and 8.33% shareholder Audi is reported to be worth a further €50m a year until 2029. Despite earning less TV money than English or Spanish clubs, Bayern held on to fourth place in the ranking.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/T. Hase
Paris St. Germain - 635.9 million euros
For the past eight years, the French club have been financed by the Qatari state investment group QSI. The Qataris have pumped hundreds of millions into the club in order to sign top players like Neymar and hire quality coaches such as Thomas Tuchel, formerly of Borussia Dortmund. The club's main goal has been to lift the Champions League trophy but money hasn't proven to be enough so far.
Image: Reuters/C. Hartmann
Manchester City - 610.6 million euros
Another club bankrolled by a Gulf state and which dreams of winning the Champions League, Manchester City have been owned by the Abu Dhabi United Group since 2008, changing the fortunes of a club which spent decades in their red neighbor's shadow. Since the takeover, City have won the Premier League four times and in 2016 they hired coach Pep Guardiola with Champions League success in mind.
Image: picture-alliance/empics/PA Wire/M. Rickett
Liverpool - 604.7 million euros
But where Man City have so far failed, Liverpool have succeeded. The Reds won a sixth Champions League / European Cup in 2019 under German coach Jürgen Klopp, but it's been 30 years since they were last crowned English champions. This season, that dream is closer than ever, and lifting the Premier League trophy should translate into more revenue for the Merseyside club in 2020.
Image: Reuters/K. Pfaffenbach
Tottenham Hotspur - 521.1 million euros
Spurs owe their improved place in the ranking mainly to their brand new stadium, opened in April 2019. Increased matchday earnings at the "New White Hart Lane" hav contributed to a 21% rise in total revenue, enabling last season's Champions League finalists to leapfrog local North London rivals Arsenal into eighth place - a record high for the club currently managed by Jose Mourinho.
Italian record champions Juventus moved back into the top 10 with Deloitte claiming that the arrival of Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo "increased Juventus' commercial appeal". The 34-year-old joined Juventus from Real Madrid for more than €100 million in July 2018. other signings such as Matthijs de Ligt also boosted Juventus' brand visibility and commercial revenue.
Image: AFP/I. Bonotto
9 images1 | 9
Super League announcement
The now former president also said Monday that he had accepted a proposal for the Catalan club to play in "a future European Super League" which "would guarantee the financial stability of the club."
The concept of a European football Super League has been floated around for several years, which would give the top teams from the top national leagues in Europe a chance to play against one another in a league of their own. Even defending German and European champions Bayern Munich were interested in forming such a league. If it were implemented, it would likely replace the Champions League and/or Europe League competitions already in place.
La Liga president Javier Tebas Medrano tweeted his dismay at Bartomeu's decision to support the league, saying "it confirms his ignorance about the football industry. Sad end for a president with successes and lately many mistakes."
