On Tuesday, Josep Maria Bartomeu announced he was resigning as president of Barcelona.
The 57-year-old confirmed he and the entire board of directors would be stepping down prior to a planned vote of no confidence at Camp Nou offices this weekend.
Below is the full speech Bartomeu delivered to reporters, members and fans
Good evening Barca members, I am here today to inform you of my resignation and that of the rest of the board of directors.
This is a well-considered, calm, consensual and collective decision by my fellow directors who have accompanied me over recent years in a loyal and committed fashion with regards to the project and the club, and who have made so many sacrifices thinking always of Barca.
This morning, as …
Jurgen Klopp insists Liverpool will not look beyond Fulham despite Tottenham looming on the horizon for the Premier League champions.
With their Champions League commitments on hold until 2021, Liverpool travel to Craven Cottage on Sunday for the first of five games before the turn of the year.
The fixture in the capital comes just three days before Spurs – who sit level on points with the Reds at the top of the table visit Anfield, when that midweek clash pits together teams with title aspirations.
Klopp, though, is focused only on the next game. The German is impressed by what Scott Parker has achieved at Fulham, who have lost their last six home league matches played on a Sunday.
I hope none of my players will think about Tottenham, the Li…
Kingsley Coman, Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller earned Bayern Munich a 3-0 victory over Red Star Belgrade as they moved top of Champions League Group B.
In-form France winger Coman struck in the 34th minute for the German giants at the Allianz Arena, his sixth goal of the campaign for club and country.
They were given a scare in the latter stages when Marko Marin curled agonisingly wide, but Lewandowski and substitute Muller struck late on to add gloss to the result.
Tottenham s draw with Olympiacos leaves Bayern as the only side with maximum points in the group after matchday one.
Philippe Coutinho was a lively presence throughout and he threatened with a driven shot just over the bar from the edge of the penalty after the visitors failed to clear t…
Liverpool have confirmed the impending departure of long-serving defender Joel Matip.
The centre-back joined Liverpool as one of Jurgen Klopp s first signings back in 2016, and over an eight-year spell, has played a key role in the Reds success.
Matip, 32, is out of contract at the end of the season, having not featured since December due to a serious knee injury.
On Friday, the club confirmed the former Schalke defender would be following Klopp in leaving Anfield.
Speaking to Liverpool s official club channels, Matip said: It has been eight wonderful years here in Liverpool.
I was allowed to be part of an exciting history with a great coach and an astonishing team in an extraordinary club. We have achieved great titles and have the best fans in …
Antonio Conte says the time has come for Inter to shut up and pedal as they approach the Scudetto winning line.
The Nerazzurri head coach has seen his team carry an 11-point cushion over second-placed Milan into the 30th round of Serie A games, and momentum is firmly in their favour.
On Sunday, Inter will have home advantage against Cagliari, and Conte is keen to ensure his side do not see this as a time to slow down and check what others are doing, suggesting that is a recipe for failure.
He described joining Inter as the most difficult decision on Saturday and said he has a lot to lose , but the former Juventus boss is closing in on unseating his former club as champions of Italy after nine dominant years.
Appointed in May 2019, Conte has sculpted…
Manchester City defensive midfielder Fernandinho will stay at the club beyond the end of the season, according to . The 36-year-old is out of contract at City at the end of next month, but the Brazil international will sign a new deal and extend his stay at the Etihad Stadium.
City are in the market for a long-term replacement for Fernandinho, but the newly-crowned Premier League champions will hand the former Shakhtar Donetsk star a new deal. The 36-year-old has been on the books of the Citizens since 2013 and is one of the greatest ever players to have turned out for the club.
During his time at City so far, Fernandinho has won the Premier League title four times and the EFL Cup on as man as six occasions. The Citizens have also reached the final of the Champions Leag…
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Frosinone aim to improve their prospects of Serie A survival as they host newly crowned champions Inter Milan at the Stadio Benito Stirpe on Friday night.
The Canaries are eager to avenge their 2-0 defeat suffered in the reverse fixture at San Siro back in November against the Nerazzurri, but there s obviously a lot more riding on this game for Eusebio Di Francesco s side.
Frosinone
Frosinone s recent six-game unbeaten streak in Serie A has given them a glimmer of hope in their battle to avoid relegation. However, their hopes might have diminished slightly with a goalless draw against Empoli last weekend, marking their fifth draw during this run.
Despite registering 17 shots on goal, the Canaries were unable to breach E…
Tottenham at least temporarily leapfrogged Arsenal into fourth place in the Premier League with a 3-1 victory over Leicester City.
With Arsenal in action at West Ham in the late game on Sunday, Spurs were able to apply pressure to their rivals thanks to their first win in three.
Harry Kane predictably opened the scoring – his 17th goal in 14 Premier League matches against former loan club Leicester – but Son Heung-min stole the show, grabbing a brace.
Tottenham were far more accomplished in the second half than they had been in a shaky opening period, although only the result really matters at this stage of the season with a trip to Liverpool to come next week ahead of a huge north London derby.
The Leicester team showed nine changes from Thursday s …
Netherlands international Depay scored 15 goals in 22 games for Lyon last season despite suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in December, as the French side reached the Champions League semi-finals.
If an offer arrives, we will have to think about it, Juninho said. We could keep him for another year as captain and lose him for free next year. The president could make an effort to extend [his deal], but I think it will be difficult.
Memphis didn t ask anything from us before going with the national team. He told me he hadn t received any call from Barca.
Juninho, meanwhile, expressed his desire for Real Madrid s Benzema to re-join boyhood club Lyon.
Benzema emerged from Lyon s youth system in 2004, going on to win four Ligue 1 titles amo…
Jurgen Klopp once again lamented Liverpool s fixture list and suggested FA Cup ties should not be played on weekend days.
Liverpool head to Brighton and Hove Albion in the fourth round on Sunday, eight days on from their most recent match – a 0-0 Premier League draw with Chelsea.
It has been a rare week off for Klopp s men, who won both the FA Cup and EFL Cup last season, but the German is still not entirely pleased with his side s schedule.
We re not famous for going long in the cups, apart from last year, he said at Friday s pre-match press conference. Cups are difficult when you have midweek games.
Now we have full weeks to prepare, but in our schedule, I m not sure the FA Cup should be at a weekend. But we deal with it. It s not a problem for now.…