Madrid (AFP)

Josep Maria Bartomeu finally resigned: the president of FC Barcelona, ​​in conflict with star Lionel Messi and targeted by a motion of censure, left his post on Tuesday five months before the next elections, abandoning a Barça in the midst of a sports and budgetary crisis.

This is the epilogue of long months of violent shocks, in an atmosphere of the end of his reign: three days after the Liga clasico lost 3-1 against Real Madrid on Saturday in an empty Camp Nou, Bartomeu gave in to the pressure and ended up submitting his resignation ... although he had declared on Monday that he had "no reason to resign".

However, it ended up happening, putting an end to six years of presidency for this former right-hand man of President Sandro Rosell (2010-2014), who had succeeded at short notice to his former mentor targeted by Spanish justice.

"I appear today to communicate to you my resignation and that of the rest of the management committee. It is a thoughtful, calm, joint decision and approved by all my collaborators", declared Bartomeu at a press conference.

After days of uncertainty, against a backdrop of disagreements on the date and organization of the vote on the motion of censure endorsed by thousands of "socios" (supporters-shareholders), Bartomeu and his management committee decided to submit their resignation, qualifying the posture of their opponents as "irresponsible" and that of the Catalan regional government as "incomprehensible".

A transitional management commission, with limited powers, will now have to manage the organization of the new elections within three months of its creation.

- Scandals -

Bartomeu thus puts an end to a deleterious situation that has lasted since January 2020, with the defeat in the semifinals of the Spanish Supercup then the dismissal in the wake of the coach Ernesto Valverde, which began the slow fall of the illustrious FC Barcelona.

Already in February, Bartomeu's image was greatly tarnished: the president then denied being at the origin of a campaign of slander targeting club figures on social networks and whose goal was to improve his image.

Cadena Ser radio shows, however, that Barça paid one million euros in six separate invoices to the company I3 Ventures to manipulate public opinion on social networks.

The "socios" are scandalized.

In April, six members of the board of directors resigned, against the backdrop of disagreements over Bartomeu's management method.

And the new coronavirus pandemic does not interrupt the crisis of the Barça institution.

In a club already in debt (EUR 200m in net debt since 2019), the health crisis has led to new losses estimated at EUR 200m.

Barça separates during the summer from some big salaries in the locker room: Arthur, Ivan Rakitic, Arturo Vidal, Luis Suarez ... And the club asks for salary efforts from the rest of the workforce.

But the decisive blow will come in August: Bartomeu finds himself terribly weakened after a catastrophic first half of 2020 and then a historic 8-2 rout against Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals in Lisbon.

- "There is no project, nothing" -

A few days later, thunderclap: Messi, emblematic captain and legend of Camp Nou, announces to the club that he wishes to leave.

Bartomeu refuses and forces him to stay under the terms of his contract, until the summer of 2021, by giving the Argentine an ultimatum: if Messi publicly says that his problem is Bartomeu, then he will resign.

Messi will never admit it publicly, and will change his mind.

But the public opinion is aligned with a large majority behind "La Pulga", which openly criticizes its leaders in a resounding interview: "There is no project, nothing. They are only juggling and filling holes as they go. and as things happen. "

Bartomeu, re-elected to everyone's surprise with 54% of the vote in July 2015 in the wake of a sumptuous Liga-Cup-Champions League treble, will therefore not reach the end of his mandate marked by many trophies (4 Ligas, 4 King's Cups ...) but as many scandals, such as for example the judicial inquiries on the conditions of the transfer of Neymar.

And the crowning achievement, for this father of two and 57-year-old entrepreneur, will be to see Barça begin to rebuild thanks to the seeds he himself planted, coach Ronald Koeman and young prodigy Ansu Fati (18 years old on October 31) in the lead.

© 2020 AFP