Barcelona president Bartomeu quits in fallout of Messi feud

Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu resigned Tuesday amid fallout of his feud with star Lionel Messi, and on his way out revealed Spanish club wants to join a potential new super league of elite European teams. After one of club’s worst seasons in more than a decade, Bartomeu anunced that his entire board of directors also resigned, thus avoiding a motion of censure vote that was scheduled for coming weeks.

Bartomeu wanted to delay vote, citing health concerns for club’s more than 110,000 members amid coronavirus pandemic, but local officials earlier in day authorized vote to take place. More than 20,000 Barcelona members had signed a petition for Bartomeu and his board to face a motion of censure. petition was made t long after Messi said he wanted to leave club, and following team's embarrassing 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in Champions League, a result that capped club's first season without a title since 2007-08.

Messi was critical of club directors last season and said he didn’t like direction club was headed. He personally complained of Bartomeu for t keeping his promise to let him leave. Bartomeu said on Monday that he explained to Messi and his family that he could t let world’s best player depart before end of his contract, which expires at end of this season. Bartomeu had also said that resigning had t crossed his mind.

“It was a well-thought decision by everyone,” he said Tuesday, adding that it would have been “irresponsible” to go on with vote amid pandemic. Bartomeu added that club had given its initial approval to a new competition. “I can anunce that we approved requirements to be part of a European Super League,” Bartomeu said. “ decision to play competition w must be ratified by next (club) assembly.”

It was t immediately clear from Bartomeu’s comments who would be organizing a Super League or if such a competition would only replace UEFA-run Champions League. Bartomeu, who did t answer questions Tuesday, is leaving nearly seven years after he took over club following resignation of Sandro Rosell in 2014.

After team's loss to Bayern, Bartomeu anunced “profound changes" to club and called for new presidential elections for March. He said he knew unpopular and difficult decisions would have to be made.

“It would be easy thing to do to quit after elimination in Champions League, but we had to guarantee club's future in middle of a world crisis without precedents,” he said. “We had reason to resign when new elections had already been scheduled.”