Bartomeu considers resigning if the referendum is not postponed

The presidents of Barcelona and Real Madrid, Josep María Bartomeu and Florentino Pérez, talk during the Clásico.LUÍS GENÉ / AFP

Barça fans are awaiting the celebration of the vote of no confidence, announced for next Sunday and Monday, November 1 and 2, after the Generalitat declined the proposal to grant the club 15 days to organize the referendum that must decide on continuity of the directive of Josep Maria Bartomeu.

The Barcelona board plans to meet this Monday to evaluate the moment and assume the Government's decision - to activate the vote after reinforcing the action protocol - or, on the contrary, to persevere in postponing the process because of the new measures originated by the covid after the assembly scheduled for last Sunday was postponed - the maximum date to organize it is December 31.

The referendum must be called with a minimum of five days of margin.

The ability to maneuver is minimal for Bartomeu.

The president is not in favor of submitting to the censorship of the partners - the validated signatures are 19,380 out of the 16,521 necessary - and could resign if the current circumstances continue, which are conditioned by the Barça statutes.

Some directors are also in favor of resigning from their positions and giving way to a management commission, a circumstance that would not allow the current council to balance the accounts as was Bartomeu's priority.

The president aspires to close the past year and the current one, hold the elections on March 20 and 21 and hand over command to the new president on July 1, 2021, when the new manager would officially take office (in that interval both parties should agree a transfer of powers to decide on the management of the club, an aspect on which there is still no roadmap and which could lead to the work of a manager; the new president does not take office immediately so that those months do not count as one year in office, as happened with Laporta in 2003).

The decision of the board of directors on its continuity and the vote of no confidence also condition the electoral movements, pending above all from Joan Laporta.

The former president seems determined to attend elections that at the moment have Víctor Font, Toni Freixa, Agustí Benedito, Lluís Fernández Alá and Jordi Farré, promoter of the vote of no-confidence, also endorsed by Font and Martínez Alá. The presence of a Continuing candidate is considered ruled out, although there may be more than one member linked to the current board of directors who opts for the presidency, such as Emili Rousaud, who resigned after

.

Xavier Vilajoana, who is still on the current board, has decided to present himself after the decision of the board of this Monday and of Bartomeu.

The applicants are very aware of the serious economic situation of the club, which must also close the negotiating table before November 5 to apply a new salary cut to Barça workers and professional players.

The board hopes that the losses of the exercises conditioned by the pandemic will not count for the purposes of the guarantees in the clubs that are not sports limited companies - Barcelona, ​​Real Madrid, Athletic and Osasuna.

All four are awaiting the decision of the Higher Sports Council.