MADRID, Dec 8: Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon narrowly won a vote of confidence on Sunday during a tense meeting when the club’s general assembly passed his budget proposal despite calls for his resignation.

Only hours later, nearly 80,000 fans at Santiago Bernabeu stadium called for the president’s resignation at halftime of Madrid’s 4-3 loss to Sevilla.

Calderon went into the annual meeting with the Spanish club showing profits of euro51 million ($65 million) last season, when his second year in office was marked by a second straight league title.

But a series of ill-timed public outbursts, alleged vote-rigging and a dip in the club’s performances meant that a budget submitted by Calderon was only just approved.

El Mundo’s Web site reported that Calderon had beaten Juan Palacios in his original 2006 election because mailed-in ballots were not tallied.

Shouts over the allegation joined calls for Calderon’s resignation when the microphone was lowered on a club member who criticized the club’s policies. Calderon fidgeted in his chair as the cries from a large faction of the 1,215 members filled the hall.

Much of the anger stems from criticism of the handling of Madrid’s youth team at a time when it’s slipping behind rival Barcelona, which leads the league and is nine points ahead of Madrid.

The euro27 million ($34 million) acquisition of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar occurred on the same day that the club’s youth director quit. A group of Madrid fans shouted “Mas cantera, menos de fuera!” (’’More from the youth team and less signings from outside!’’) at the Dutch international’s introduction on Thursday, hours after Jose “Michel” Gonzalez quit after suggesting Calderon disparaged the club’s youth system.

Calderon hasn spent heavily on international players like Pepe, Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder, while forwards like Valencia’s Juanma Mata and Alvaro Negredo of Almeria have become established players after being cut loose from Madrid. He’s also failed to bring in Cristiano Ronaldo and Cesc Fabregas, as promised in his original platform.

The turmoil also comes as Madrid celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Del Buitre Quintet. The five players, led by Emilio Butragueno and brought up through Madrid’s youth system, won five straight league trophies and two UEFA Cups in the 80s.

Even Barcelona president Joan Laporta sympathized with his Madrid counterpart.—AP