BARCELONA: Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has called club elections for the end of the season in a bid to “ease the tension” surrounding the embattled Catalan club.
Bartomeu took over as president a year ago after Sandro Rossell resigned following the controversy over the signing of Brazilian striker Neymar which led to the club being accused of tax fraud.
The current board’s mandate was due to run until 2016, but Bartomeu has come under fire in recent weeks after Barca’s appeal against a one-year transfer ban by FIFA for irregularities in the signing of players under the age of 16 was rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
On Monday, Bartomeu sacked sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta and former captain Carles Puyol resigned from his position as Zubizarreta’s assistant.--AFP