Six board members at Barcelona have resigned over concerns at the way the football club is being managed through the coronavirus crisis.

Two of the club's four vice-presidents Emili Rousaud and Enrique Tombas have quit alongside directors Silvio Elias, Josep Pont, Jordi Calsamiglia and Maria Teixidor.

They said in a letter to the club president Josep Maria Bartomeu that they were unhappy over the financial implications of the current situation. 

They have also called for presidential elections to happen as soon as possible and  criticised the club for hiring a third party, I3 Ventures, earlier this year to monitor social media coverage of Barca.

Bartomeu has denied accusations the company created social media accounts to smear future presidential candidates, and former and current players.

The club's contract with the firm was however terminated.

The letter, which appeared in Spanish media read: "We have arrived at this point because we cannot reverse the way the club is managed in the face of important challenges in the future, especially in the post-pandemic era.

"We also want to show our displeasure over the unfortunate episode about the social media accounts, known as 'Barcagate', which we learned about through the press.

"As our last act of service to the club, we recommend that elections are called as soon as circumstances permit so that the club can be managed in the best way possible and deal with the important challenges of the immediate future."

Barcelona's players have taken a 70 per cent pay cut but Lionel Messi criticised the club for putting players 'under the magnifying glass'.