There’s no doubt that one of the most controversial presidents in Barcelona’s recent history is Josep Maria Bartomeu. The 61-year-old took the reins in 2014 after Sandro Rosell’s resignation, and held the position until 2020, when he himself stood down, ultimately being replaced by current chief Joan Laporta.
Bartomeu is not highly regarded by many Barcelona supporters because of his role in crushing the club’s finances, which included handing out extremely lucrative contracts, which the club is still trying to recover from.
Bartomeu was involved in multiple controversies during his tenure, one of which was the ongoing El Caso Negreira case, which he has not publicly addressed. He does intend to do so, with Sport reporting that he wants to hold a press conference to explain some of the “truths” of his presidency.
🚨 Former Barcelona President Bartomeu is considering offering a press conference. He has long wanted to explain his truth of the years in which he was at the head of club. @Alfremartinezz pic.twitter.com/T3a4ZrMKSG
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) April 14, 2024
For now, Bartomeu has been dissuaded from the idea by his legal representatives, but his plan is to press ahead with his conference at some stage. When it does come, Barcelona fans will surely want to tune in.
Nobody wants to hear Barto spin the disaster he created, except of course for the sports tabloids. It’ll give the vultures something to print and try and stir up controversy with, so I’m sure they’re all eagerly looking forward to it.
The fan base is finished with him, though. What he says now doesn’t change what he did then.