Gerard Pique’s Barcelona left Lisbon on Saturday © AFP/File / LLUIS GENE
Madrid, Spain, Aug 16 – Top Barcelona officials will hold an emergency board meeting on Monday following the team’s humiliating 8-2 Champions League quarter-final defeat by Bayern Munich, a club source told AFP on Sunday with under-fire coach Quique Setien likely to be axed.
“The president (Josep Maria Bartomeu) has called an imminent emergency meeting of the executive committee, which will be held at the start of next week, possibly Monday,” wrote sports daily Mundo Deportivo, following a similar report from radio station RAC1.
A source at the club confirmed the meeting would take place Monday without specifying the time but RAC1 claimed it would begin at 1100 local time (0900GMT).
“The blaugrana management committee is going to meet tomorrow (Monday), (coach Quique) Setien will be dismissed and a date could be brought forward already for the presidential elections,” added Catalan daily L’Esportiu.
Defender Gerard Pique said he wanted sweeping changes at the Camp Nou but Bartomeu called for patience after the heavy loss to the German champions.
“We are hurting, but once we get to next week we will start making decisions,” he told television channel Movistar.
“The credibility of a coach is diminished when this happens, clearly. That is obvious, but that does not bother me right now.
“I think what happens today needs to be analysed with a bit more perspective,” he added.
Bartomeu on Friday said he would not rule out the elections being moved up from next summer following Barca’s worst ever defeat in Europe, and the club’s first season without silverware since 2007-08.
Late on Sunday Catalan television channel broadcast a debate regarding the future of the outfit which included Victor Font, Jordi Farre, Joan Laporta and Lluis Fernandez Ala, who could all stand to replace Bartomeu.
The fate of sporting director Eric Abidal is also set to be discussed, as is the future of Lionel Messi whose contract is due to expire at the end of next season.
