Former Barcelona president defends his running of the club

By JOSEPH WILSON
Associated Press

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The former president of Spanish club Barcelona has denied accusations by the current leadership that his board left the team on the brink of bankruptcy because of poor management. Josep Bartomeu tells Spanish media that most of the club’s financial woes have been caused by the impact of the pandemic. Bartomeu’s successor has said that even without the pandemic the club would have suffered huge losses because expenses outstripped revenues under Bartomeu. Bartomeu also criticizes current president Joan Laporta for having let Lionel Messi walk away. Bartomeu says Messi “represents much more than just a player who we all love.”