Barcelona board set for major reshuffle as 6 members resign

The division in Barcelona's front office deepened Thursday after six board members abruptly resigned because of apparent differences with president Josep Maria Bartomeu.

The departures of two vice presidents - Emili Rousaud and Enrique Tombas - and four directors - Silvio Elias, Josep Pont, Jordi Calsamiglia, and Maria Texidor - were confirmed in a statement co-signed by all six which outlined their doubts around the management and direction of the team.

"We reached this point by being unable to reverse the criteria for how the club is managed in the face of important challenges in the future, especially given the new post-(coronavirus) pandemic scenario," read the statement obtained by Joan Josep Pallas of La Vanguardia and translated by Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens of ESPN FC.

The six also called for the team to hold an election for a new president "as soon as circumstances allow so that important challenges in the immediate future can be managed in the best possible manner." Bartomeu, who was re-elected for a second term in 2015, will not be permitted to run when the club is set to elect a new leader in the summer of 2021.

The exodus comes one day after Rousaud claimed Bartomeu was ready to reshuffle the board because he didn't trust some directors.

It's understood the deterioration within the club's upper echelon is linked to members of the board sparring over club positions in anticipation of next summer's presidential election. One source, according to Marsden and Llorens, compared the situation at the Camp Nou to the HBO drama "Game of Thrones."

Barcelona's players recently called out the board after it was suggested that some members were pressuring players to accept wage reductions to limit the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Lionel Messi last week denied accusations from the board that players were reluctant to endure salary decreases while announcing the players had agreed to a 70% pay cut.