Barcelona Sacks Head Coach!
Barcelona, Spain, May 24 (EFE).-
FC Barcelona have sacked head coach Xavi Hernandez, the club said Friday, less than a month after announcing he would be in charge next season.
“FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta has informed Xavi Hernández that he will not be continuing as first team coach in the 2024-25 season,” the club said in a statement.
Xavi will take charge of his last match when Barcelona take on Sevilla on Sunday on the final weekend of the LaLiga season.
Xavi had announced earlier this year that he would be leaving at the end of the season, but was then persuaded to stay after meeting with Laporta at the end of April.
On Apr. 25, Laporta had said he was “proud that Xavi is staying” as it would help bring “stability to the institution and the project.”
“This club is proud to continue having a coach of the human quality, the knowledge and unquestioned love for Barça as Xavi Hernandez,” Laporta had said.
However, the club have now chosen to go in a different direction, with reports suggesting German manager Hansi Flick is in line to take over.
Under Xavi, Barcelona finished in second place in the league, and currently lie 12 points behind rivals Real Madrid.
The team will finish this season without having won a trophy.
He led the team to the league title in the 2022/23 season, when the side also won the Spanish Super Cup.
Xavi spent the majority of his playing career at Barcelona, winning LaLiga eight times, the Champions League four times, the Spanish Cup three times and the Club World Cup twice, among other titles.
“FC Barcelona wishes to thank Xavi for his work as coach, as well as for his inimitable career as a player and as team captain, and wishes him every future success in the world,” the club said. EFE
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