Josep Maria Bartomeu has left Barcelona. It's a decision that has come too late. The former president hung onto his position unnecessarily and his stubbornness only served to turn all of Barcelona against him.
He has left because he wanted to avoid facing a vote of no confidence that would have humiliated him into a departure anyway.
The 20,000 members who signed in favour of the vote were enough for him to know that he had to leave. It was a clear sign that the club's members didn't approve of him at the helm. Twenty-thousand signed, but there were a lot more who felt the same.
The vote of no confidence was the final straw, and also the end result of poor management. On a sporting level, the last 12 months have been a mess. The results were the first sign as the football team didn't win any titles.
That decline was gradual. Bartomeu didn't fund the necessary reinforcements, instead spending almost 400 million euros on players like Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele, Antoine Griezmann and Frenkie de Jong who haven't delivered. There were warning signs that this was coming on the pitch, just look to Turin, Liverpool and Rome.
Bartomeu upset the players and they weren't shy to criticise him. Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique were the most vocal in speaking out against him.
The club's economic problems are serious, and the new board will have to manage the problem Bartomeu caused. The club have lost 100 million euros in the last year and they weren't ready to face a pandemic, already shaken. Barcelona hadn't done their homework and they had been living on the edge for some time before COVID-19 hit.
But what caused him the most damage was Barcagate. Using the members' money to spy on and criticise important club figures, including current players, was not acceptable. Once that became known, his fate was sealed.
Six people in upper management at the club left, fans took sides and it was only going to end one way.
The situation had reached a point of no return. The opposition acted intelligently and managed to force through the vote of no confidence. Bartomeu tried to fight it until the end, but his borderline ridiculous antics are no more.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com