Barcelona FC has disclosed that head coach Xavi Hernandez has been sacked after been informed by the club President Juan Larpota that his services will no longer be required.
“FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta informed Xavi Hernández this morning that he will not continue as manager for the 2024-25 season.”
Barcelona are keen to appoint Hansi Flick as Xavi’s successor on Monday, as Flick has prioritized Barcelona as his next destination.
Last month Xavi announced that he would be leaving the club during the summer stating this development in a press conference:
“I don’t want to be a problem. I want to be a solution for Barça as I was two years ago.” Xavi, a Barça legend as a player, knows FC Barcelona better than anyone and is convinced that the team need now “a change in direction.”
The coach believes his departure at the end of the season “takes the tension out of the situation and gives the dressing room, the staff and the club a bit of room to change the dynamic.”
Nevertheless, there are four months to go until the end of the season and the Catalan coach made it clear that he still has the energy to fight for silverware this season: “In these four months I will give everything. I’ll try to give my all to try and win the league. I still think we can do it.” To conclude, he confessed that even if the team does win a trophy, “the decision is made and it can’t be changed.”
Xavi reconsidered his decision after meeting with the club president. After the meeting, Xavi said, “I changed my mind because I really felt total confidence from the president, from the board, and the players too.”
Xavi was appointed as Barcelona coach in 2021, leading them to their first league title in four years last season and signing a contract extension until June 30, 2025, with an option for an additional year, in September last year.
