Barcelona Manager Luis Enrique has agreed to a new contract to "stay on," a "big coup pulled off" by club President Josep Maria Bartomeu as he "formally stepped down ahead of elections due at the Camp Nou this summer," according to Dermot Corrigan of ESPN. Enrique led Barça to success in La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League in his debut campaign, but he said over the weekend that his position at the club "was uncertain despite having one year to run on his current deal." He overcame an "institutional crisis in early January, when he appeared set to be fired amid a reported fall-out with Lionel Messi and director of football Andoni Zubizarreta lost his job." Bartomeu: "I want to announce that this afternoon, a few minutes ago, we have agreed to renew Luis Enrique's contract until 2017. We have Luis Enrique for two more years." Bartomeu also "confirmed his candidacy for the presidential election, which is expected to take place in late July." He said, "I present my resignation to step aside for the elections. In these elections, the club must choose a model for the club, a way to act and think. I will defend my model because I believe we have done well, because I believe Barça can continue to grow and win and keep being a leader in world football." He also praised the outgoing board's "management of the club's finances through the last five years." Bartomeu predicted Barcelona would pass Real Madrid to become the world's "highest-earning club next year." He said: "The prediction for revenues is €600 million ($677.3M), and we have reduced the deficit. We have grown a lot by generating profits and without selling our heritage or raising ticket prices. We have generated resources to sign the best players in the world, who today play alongside Messi, the best player in history" (ESPN, 6/9).
ENTERING THE RACE: SPORT reported former club director and spokesperson Toni Freixa will "become one of Bartomeu's rivals in the election of the club's new president." Freixa, a current member of Barcelona's board of directors, "stepped down from the board on Tuesday." He "has not confirmed nor denied that he will run to be club president," but is "expected to call a press conference to announce that he is running on Wednesday" (SPORT, 6/9). In Barcelona, David Salinas reported Agustí Benedito is expected to announce on Thursday that he will run in Barcelona's presidential election. He has a press conference scheduled for noon local time on Thursday, "when he will explain the motives and reasons bringing him to once again run in a Barcelona presidential election." Like the rest of the candidates, Benedito "will have to collect 2,534 signatures to become a candidate" (SPORT, 6/9).
RENEWAL WITH QATAR AIRWAYS: In Madrid, Luis F. Rojo reported Barcelona has reached an agreement for Qatar Airways to remain the club's main shirt sponsor until '19. Bartomeu and Economic VP Javier Faus, who has handled "the bulk of the negotiations with Qatar -- have been working on closing this deal for several weeks." The deal "could even be announced" on Tuesday "if the board approves it." The "reason for this haste is that if a new president takes office, they will do so in late July, leaving them very little wiggle room to talk to sponsors ahead of the General Assembly usually held in September." The sponsor "needs to be known by this time because Nike orders production of the following season's shirts a year in advance." Nevertheless, if Bartomeu "is not re-elected, the extension signed with Qatar would not be binding, because it contains a clause allowing a new president to break the contract if they get a better offer or are simply unconvinced by the terms of the deal agreed" (MARCA, 6/9).
