[dst]

MADRID, Spain (Reuters) -- European champions Barcelona have been ordered to hold an immediate presidential election by a Spanish judge.

He upheld a complaint from three club members that Joan Laporta had already served four years.

"An electoral process to choose a new board must be called as soon as possible," Judge Roberto Garcia Ceniceros stated.

He ruled that according to the club's statutes the year ran from July to June, and that as Laporta was elected to the post on June 16, 2003 the period before the end of that month constituted his first year in office.

Laporta's four-year term would therefore have expired on June 30 this year.

He won the election pledging to buy England midfielder David Beckham when he came to power. The move did not materialize but Laporta did sign Brazilian Ronaldinho.

Since then the Catalan club have won two Primera Liga titles and they won the Champions League in May.

Arch rivals Real Madrid have just held a presidential election which saw Ramon Calderon elected after a bitterly contested five-way battle.


CNN

This post has been edited by dst: Jul 19 2006, 02:37 PM