Future of Barca chief Laporta on the line

The future of Barcelona’s embattled president, Joan Laporta is on the line Sunday when the club holds a general assembly at which some 3,000 influential club members will decide whether he should continue.

Laporta has come under pressure with the Catalan club having ended the past two seasons empty-handed after winning the 2006 Champions League and on July 7 he narrowly won a confidence vote.

An emergency board meeting three days later narrowly approved him staying on in the post, but eight leading officials resigned in protest at the decision.

Laporta has headed the club since 2003 and was re-elected in 2006.

The Catalan giants ended last season in third place, missing out on automatic qualification for the lucrative Champions League.

In May, Dutch coach Frank Rijkaard was dismissed after five years in the job and replaced by Spaniard Josep Guardiola.