Barcelona president resigns

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has said he and his board will step down next Wednesday to set in motion a presidential election at the club, as ordered by a Spanish judge earlier in the week.

"The board and myself intend to stand again to defend the interests of Barcelona. We believe ours is a good project that deserves to continue," Laporta told a news conference after an emergency meeting.

On Wednesday, Judge Roberto Garcia Ceniceros upheld a complaint from three club members who said Laporta had already served his four-year tenure.

He ruled that according to the club's statutes the year ran from July to June, and that as Laporta officially took power on June 22, 2003 the period before the end of that month constituted his first year in office.

Laporta's four-year term would therefore have expired on June 30 this year.

"We are in this situation because of a judicial order. We have no option but to resign because the institution comes first," said Laporta. "But we will appeal against the decision because we believe the correct course of action is to hold elections in 2007."

"We will try to make sure this does not unsettle the team. This is crucial as we are in the middle of one the best periods in the club's history."

A caretaker body will be put in place to manage the electoral process and set the date for a vote, which Spanish media said could be September 10.

Laporta's opponents have said they would be unhappy with plans to hold the election so quickly as club members would be away on holiday for the majority of the electoral campaign.

Laporta won the 2003 election by pledging to buy England midfielder David Beckham when he came to power. The move did not materialise but Laporta did sign Brazilian Ronaldinho.

Since then the Catalan club has won two Primera Liga titles and the Champions League in May.

Despite the success over the last two seasons Laporta has faced criticism from some quarters.

A number of board directors, including vice-president Sandro Rosell, resigned last year because they had become disenchanted with an increasingly domineering style.

Last October he was forced into a U-turn to accept the resignation of his brother-in-law Alejandro Echevarria who it was revealed had once been a member of a foundation honouring former dictator Francisco Franco.

The revelations sent shockwaves through a club that has traditionally identified itself with Catalan nationalism and opposition to right-wing dictator Franco, who ruled Spain with an iron hand between 1939 and his death in 1975.

Fans have also complained about the lack of tickets made available to them for this year's Champions League final in which they beat Arsenal 2-1 in Paris.

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