MADRID, July 10 (Reuters) - Barcelona president Joan Laporta
said he will leave it up to the general assembly of club
delegates to decide on his future in the post, after the
resignation of eight of his 17 board directors on Thursday.
Laporta has been under pressure from his own board and local
media to step down after losing a confidence vote among club
members on Sunday, when those critical of his management won
60.6 percent of the almost 40,000 votes cast.
The motion just failed to achieve the two thirds necessary
to force a new election and afterwards Laporta said he would
continue and complete his mandate which runs until 2010.
'I consider it necessary to continue at such a crucial
moment of the season to maintain the stability needed to
construct the teams for next year,' Laporta told a news
conference.
'But I recognise that although we overcame the motion
against us on Sunday, we did not get a favourable vote.
'I have decided, with the board, to put my position at the
disposal of the general assembly who are the supreme governing
body of the club.'
The approximately 3,000 club delegates, who represent the
members, are expected to meet in September, Spanish media
reported.
The resignation of eight directors at the first official
board meeting since Sunday came as another blow to Laporta's
administration.
It was particularly damaging as they included first
vice-president Albert Vicens, vice-president for sport Marc
Ingla and vice-president for finance Ferran Soriano.
Vicens told an earlier news conference: 'The reason for our
decision lies in the differences in opinion on how to react to
the result of the confidence vote, when the majority expressed
their unhappiness with the board.'
Laporta presided over the club when it won back-to-back
league titles in 2005 and 2006, along with the Champions League
in 2006.
But he has been heavily criticised by fans and local media
for his running of the club over the past two years when they
have failed to win any major trophies.
