Barcelona members began voting today in a presidential election that will give a further clue as to the future of England captain David Beckham.
Joan Laporta, the 40-year-old lawyer who has a conditional deal with Manchester United to sign Beckham, arrived at Barcelona's Mini Estadi to cast his vote at 9 a.m. (Irish time), an hour after the polls opened.
Laporta is a marginal favourite to win the vote involving up to 94,339 club members, although there is still a major doubt over whether he can make good on his pledge to sign Beckham.
United announced last week that they would accept the Beckham bid as long as Laporta won the election and could then agree personal terms with the iconic midfielder.
That is likely to be a tough task, with Barcelona having no chance of playing in the Champions League next season and arch-rivals Real Madrid believed to be preparing a rival bid for one of the game's most high profile players.
Laporta's main opponent is Lluis Bassat, a 61-year-old publicist who was the overwhelming favourite before the Beckham news broke.
Bassat has made it clear he would not pursue Beckham should he win election.
A total of six men are running for the top job at Barcelona, one of the biggest and most successful sporting clubs in the world.
The results are expected at around 10 p.m. (Irish time), two hours after the polls close.