|
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has postponed a vote on proposed changes to the club's badge amid opposition from supporters' groups. Club members had been due to decide on the new design at Barca's AGM on Saturday, but Bartomeu cancelled the vote and said there would instead be a period of "internal reflection" on the changes. Last month, the La Liga champions announced that they would revamp their crest for the first time since 2002, sparking discontent among fans. Prominent supporters' group Seguiment FCB has been vocal in its criticism, with members handing out leaflets before the AGM encouraging members to veto the change. They argued that all Barca's 144,000 members should get to vote -- not just the 1,000 at the AGM -- and proposed a referendum, a call Bartomeu may now give in to. A number of members voiced opposition to the new badge during the AGM, leading Bartomeu to call off the vote amid jeers from the audience. The proposed changes are minimal but the letters FCB have been removed in a move to adapt to modern times, according to the club. "Since the design was last updated in 2002, the context, society and technology have changed enormously, and the symbols identified with the club need to evolve too," a statement released last month said. "The evolution stays faithful to the historical elements of the crest: the city, Barcelona, the country, Catalonia, the club, the blaugrana colours and the ball. "But the new design now has greater reproduction capacity, especially in the increasingly more important world of digital media." It would be the 10th time since their foundation in 1899 that Barcelona have updated their badge.
|
