DBasia.news – Without any small problems revealed, suddenly a big storm hit Barcelona. The internal conflict turned out to be the reason the Catalan origin club was in crisis.
The president, Josep Maria Bartomeu was in the spotlight after six members of the club’s directors resigned. The performance and leadership of the 57-year-old man was also questioned.
Bartomeu initially assumed the post of president of Barcelona in 2014. He was appointed directly by the previous president, Sandro Rosell, who resigned because of the embezzlement of embezzlement of Neymar transfer funds purchased from Santos.
The appointment of Bartomeu was a controversial decision. He was the only person occupying the post without an election process.
Even so, Bartomeu won the Barcelona presidential election which was held a year ago defeating Joan Laporta. He also has the right to lead the club for the next six years until 2021.
But on his way, Bartomeu often issued policies that were less popular and made him in criticism. Here are Bartomeu’s policies which eventually led to a crisis in Barcelona as quoted from Goal International:
Neymar Transfer to PSG
In 2017, Neymar left Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) with a transfer worth 222 million euros. The number made the Brazilian star now the world’s most expensive player.
The transfer was in fact not approved by the majority of Barcelona players including Lionel Messi. La Pulga has several times expressed his desire that the club repatriate Neymar to Camp Nou.
Last summer, Bartomeu tried to fulfill Messi’s wishes. But PSG was reluctant to release Neymar at a price far below its purchase value.
Ernesto Valverde’s Dismissal
Ernesto Valverde appointed Bartomeu as Barcelona coach in the summer of 2017 replacing Luis Enrique. This decision had drawn criticism because the coach was considered not understand the character of the club.
Barcelona’s Valverde-era style of play was considered too pragmatic. La Masia dropout players are also increasingly marginalized.
These criticisms can be silenced by Valverde by maintaining El Barca’s dominance in Spain. He successfully presented four trophies including two LaLiga titles in a row.
Valverde’s fate finally could not be saved at the beginning of this year. He must resign from his post after Barcelona surrendered from Atletico Madrid semifinals of the Spanish Super Cup.
The problem is Bertomue fired Valverde without preparing a replacement first. Enrique Setien was finally appointed after he failed to seduce Ronald Koeman and Xavi Hernandez.
The dismissal of Valverde also made Messi hostile with Barcelona’s sporting director, Eric Abidal. Both of them even met their arguments openly in the media.
Abidal assess there are players who appear half-hearted so that Valverde was finally fired. The comment made Messi react by asking the former teammate to mention the name of the player in question.
Barcagate
After the feud Abidal and Messi are, a new conflict arises in the body of Barcelona. Bartomeu is known to have hired an agency called I3 Ventures to restore his good name in the media by using money from the club’s treasury.
This conflict is often referred to as Barcagate. But Bartomeu rejected the accusation.
Strange Transfer Policy
Barcelona brought in Martin Braithwaite in the transfer window last January. The Leganes striker was carried off with a transfer value of 18 million Euros.
Barcelona at that time really needed a new striker last January after Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele suffered serious injuries. But bringing in the attackers in the middle of nowhere is completely unexpected.
Cutting Player Salaries Up To 70 Percent
Barcelona’s decision to cut the salaries of players during the corona virus pandemic had caused few conflicts. A number of players reportedly do not agree with this.
Messi is rumored to be on the list of players who refuse salary deductions. But it was hastily denied by the concerned.
Barcelona Officials Resignation
Six members of the club’s directors namely Emili Rousand (Barca’s Vice President), Enrique Tombas, Silvio Elias, Maria Teixidor, Josep Pont, and Jordi Clasamiglia resigned from his position. They did it because it was not in line with Bartomeu.
The six men considered Barcelona in the reign of Bartomeu had violated the club’s philosophy. They asked for an accelerated presidential election.