The impending vote of no confidence is proof that the weight of feeling is against Josep Bartomeu

With Lionel Messi’s killer line from his recent Goal.com interview: “The truth is that there hasn’t been a clear project here for a long time, they juggle and plug holes with no real plan” that still hang in the air like a bad smell The Barcelona board knows they are about to fall.

With 18,090 signatures, including one from the brother of a first-team player in Barcelona, ​​according to presidential candidate Jordi Farré, Josep Bartomeu must resign as officially ratified President – only 16,520 were required – there must be a referendum on whether the board would do so should step back.

The President must now decide to sit tight and wait for the referendum in early November or leave now.

There were 18,090 signatures for the resignation of Barcelona President Josep Bartomeu

If the board chooses to hold, the November referendum will need a two-thirds majority

Collecting so many signatures when there are no games shows how deep fan dissatisfaction runs

If the current board chooses to hold on, the referendum will require a two-thirds majority, which will push him out of office and ensure elections in early January.

Bartomeu could save positive PR by leaving his post now to save the club the cost and energy of organizing the referendum – a process made difficult by the restrictions of Covid-19.

On Wednesday in Barcelona praise came from all sides for the organizers of the signature collection. It was a tremendous achievement to collect so many signatures at a time when there are no games – to remove the concentration of disgruntled fans on match day – and proof of how deep the discontent runs.

But while the More Than A Movement (Movement of No People) has done all the hard work, Messi definitely gets the support.

But while the motion of censure has done the hard work, Lionel Messi gets the support

Messi’s transfer request and attempted departure were another flaw in Bartomeu’s presidency

His burofaxed transfer request, the ensuing strike, and the general circus surrounding his attempted flight to Manchester City were actually one of the few things Bartomeu seemed to handle well, but it still went down as another stain in his tenure as president. Keeping Messi happy is high on the president’s to-do list and that was something else he failed at.

Not all of Bartomeu’s critics supported the motion of censure. Some have argued that a January election would bring the election already scheduled for March only two months forward.

The benefit of a new president taking office in the first week of January is that there are three weeks left of the winter transfer window.

But whoever comes out on top – Jordi Farré, Lluís Fernández Alà and Víctor Font have all said they will pass and Joan Laporta could join them – they will still have a hard time raising funds.

Victor Font is among the candidates to replace Bartomeu in the January or March elections

Font could be accepted into the presidency of former Barcelona President Joan Laporta

The financial impact of Covid-19 has resulted in the club posting losses of £ 88million last season. The new man will also have to negotiate another round of pay cuts with the squad.

The thought of avoiding these chores might even be the final push for Bartomeu to step down sooner rather than later. If he chooses to buy more time, it increases the feeling that some things still need to be fixed before everything can be disclosed to new administrators.

What he has no doubt about is the weight of feeling against him. There were two referendums to remove the president in Barcelona’s history, and in both cases the incumbent survived.

Bartomeu doesn’t want to be the first to lose. He would bet on Covid-19 to prevent the necessary 10 percent stake in club membership, but as the collection of signatures has shown, people seem willing to go the extra mile to remove him from office.

Bartomeu doesn’t want to be the first Barcelona president to lose such a referendum