In a surprising news, Josep Maria Bartomeu has resigned as Barcelona President on Tuesday rather than await a fans' vote of confidence on his future at the club.

The rest of the board of directors have stepped down alongside him and an election will be slated in next three months to appoint a new President. A temporary management board will oversee the day-to-day running of the club until a new executive board is fixed.

"Today I can announce a piece of news that will extraordinarily change the club's revenue prospects for the coming years," he said in his parting address, reproduced on the club's official website and quoted by Sky Sports.

"The board of directors yesterday approved the acceptance of the requirements to participate in a future European Super League of football clubs, a project promoted by the big clubs in Europe. "The details of these requirements will be available to the next board of directors, and the decision on participation in this competition will have to be ratified by the next Assembly of Compromising Partners. And I also want to announce that we have approved the acceptance of the future new format of the Club World Cup."

More than 20,000 fans of the club signed a petition in October for him to be removed from the post of President after rising increasingly upset with his management of the club. That activated a ballot on Bartomeu's position at the club. However, a vote is no longer necessary. Victor Font, Joan Laporta and Jordi Roche are some of the candidates expected to run in an election to become new President.