Former Barcelona Coach Quique Setien Push to Sue Barca
Former Barcelona manager Quique Setien has confirmed he will be taking legal action against Barcelona after only being legally informed about his sacking on Wednesday. The LaLiga giants only formalised the exit of their former manager’s sack this week, the manager was sacked for about a month now but reports has it that his lawyers will demand €4m from the club in compensation for the late formalisation of his sack.
According to Setien Barcelona’s president, Josep Maria Bartomeu never informed him about the terms of his sacking, with no settlement mentioned. His statement confirmed that he was only informed by the club of his contractually update on Wednesday, while his coaching staff who added their names to the official letter were told they would be “relocated” in the club.
It was revealed late in August that the Blaugrana had still not sacked Setien through official channels and he had even sent them a burofax which is a document with legal standing to prompt the official paperwork, and it is now set to be decided in a courtroom. The Catalans confirmed Setien’s sacking earlier this month following Barcelona’s 8-2 Champions League defeat against Bayern Munich, which proved to be his final game in charge.
However, it has now emerged that Barcelona has only relieved him of his duties of coaching the team rather than sacking him from the club, meaning that his contract had been ongoing into this week. Setien only oversaw 25 matches at the helm with his side winning on 16 of those games, drawing four matches and losing five, he was replaced by Ronald Koeman who is a former player of the club.
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu is set to face a vote of no-confidence after a campaign seeking his removal gained the necessary backing. Bartomeu, who became president in 2014, has come under increasing pressure, notably when star striker Lionel Messi handed in a transfer request in August.
A motion to remove Bartomeu was filed the day after Messi’s transfer request was presented. A total of 20,731 signatures have now backed the motion, meaning Bartomeu should face a vote over his position. About 16,500 signatures were needed and as long as that number is cleared when the signed documents are verified, 57-year-old Bartomeu will be the subject of a referendum within three months.
The potential referendum will be undertaken by the club’s 150,000 members and if 66.5% of the vote against him his time at the club it means the man will be leaving.