Josep Maria Bartomeu has resigned as Barcelona president on Tuesday rather than await a fans’ vote of confidence on his future at the club.
The rest of the board of directors have stepped down alongside Bartomeu, and an election will be scheduled within the next 90 days to appoint a new president.
“It’s a thought-out, serene, informed decision” to resign, Bartomeu said in a televised speech.
A temporary management board will oversee the day-to-day running of the club until a new executive board is appointed.
Bartomeu opted to leave rather than ask club members to vote on his future after a debate with local government in Catalonia on whether voting in person would be safe in the current pandemic.
More than 20,000 supporters signed a petition this month for him to be removed as president after growing increasingly upset with his management of the club.
That triggered a referendum on Bartomeu’s position at the club. However, a vote is no longer necessary.
Victor Font, Joan Laporta and Jordi Roche are some of the candidates expected to run in an election to decide Bartomeu’s successor.
Bartomeu, 57, replaced Sandro Rosell as president in 2014. He had previously been vice president to Rosell, who stepped down after a lawsuit was filed accusing him of hiding the real cost of the Neymar transfer.