Bartomeu: "Nobody thinks or wants to resign"

The president of Barcelona, ​​Josep Maria Bartomeu. Albert Garcia / EL PAÍS

"Nobody on the board thinks or wants to resign now."

Josep Maria Bartomeu, president of FC Barcelona, ​​ruled out resigning from office despite the fact that 20,687 members have expressed through their signature the rejection of the mandate of the current board and endorse the holding of a referendum that will surely be called before November 1.

The number of endorsements has surprised Bartomeu and "the promoters themselves," said the president in statements to TV-3, before the Joan Gamper Trophy dispute.

In the absence of speeches from the captain and the coaches, as was customary in the presentation of the Barça team, in a silent Gamper, Bartomeu took the floor to reiterate that the managers and the club are working to complete a "competitive squad in an atypical season" before the market closes on October 5.

"We have a lot of work," he insisted after recalling that in the next 10 days the table for the vote of no confidence will be set up and the signature validation process will be opened, "which must be transparent and rigorous."

The process will end with a referendum to be held between October and November if the authenticated signatures exceed the figure of 16,520, 15% of the electoral roll, as reflected in the statutes.

The margin seems wide enough to force a vote on Bartomeu's continuity.

“We will speak at the meeting after validating the signatures.

No one wants or plans to resign.

No manager has said that it was better for us to leave him when we discussed the matter, ”he insisted.

“The accounts have nothing to do with the decision.

The referendum?

Let's not speculate, ”Bartomeu added.

The Barça president avoided references about his relations with Messi after the Argentine publicly criticized him and announced that he was staying at Barça despite himself.

"As president I will not enter into any dispute with the captain," he said.

"Leo is the leader and, as has been seen in training and games, he is fully involved in Koeman's project."

"What I could not allow, neither the board nor the technicians is that he left the club.

He is the best footballer in history, the team needs him and he is a guarantee of success.

We have to congratulate ourselves because it continues;

that was the goal: that he retires from our club, his club forever ”.

Bartomeu assured that the club has sufficient financial resources to face possible signings, “but beforehand we must release some players.

Luis Suarez?

He is a Barça player ”.

He was also convinced that Koeman will continue "one, two and many more years at Barça" and assured that there was no oversight with the termination of coach Quique Setién's contract: "He was told when he played, after the Champions League;

Abidal did it;

afterwards, an agreed exit was negotiated and, since no agreement was reached, a judge must now decide ”.

Bartomeu's plan is to keep the call for elections for March 20 and 21 after holding the assembly on October 27.