MADRID, August 6, 2008 (AFP) - Barcelona has scheduled a general assembly for August 24 to decide on the future of its embattled president, Joan Laporta, the club said Wednesday.

'I think this question needs to be settled before the league season starts (on August 30/31), because I don?t want the decision to submit my job to the convention delegates to generate instability, especially in a season where we are hoping for a lot,' Laporta said in a statement.

Barcelona's poor season led registered supporters to call a confidence vote in Laporta on July 7, which he narrowly won.

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.

The decision to call the general assembly for August 24 came after neither Beitar Jerusalem nor Wisla Krakow agreed to a request to change the order of the Champions League qualifying games.

Barca had wanted to play the second leg at the Camp Nou on August 27 and hold the general assembly on the same day.

'We?ve done everything we can to change the order of the games but it hasn?t been possible,' said Laporta, adding that he did not want to delay the assembly any longer.

Barca is due to play the home leg on August 12 or 13 and the return match in Poland or Israel on August 26 or 27.

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

Under his management the club won back-to-back league titles in 2005 and 2006, along with the Champions League in 2006.

But 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.