Barcelona sack Xavi after turbulent season
Barcelona fired manager Xavi Hernandez on Friday, four weeks after confirming that the former midfielder would complete the final year of his contract and lead the club through next season.
The decision ended months of squabbles between Barcelona and Xavi, who made 767 appearances for the club over 17 seasons and helped them win 25 major trophies.
"Today Friday, FC Barcelona President Joan Laporta has informed Xavi Hernandez that he will not be continuing as first team coach in the 2024-25 season," Barcelona said in a statement.
"Barcelona wish 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."
Barcelona will finish second in La Liga, at least nine points behind champions Real Madrid, and Xavi announced in January that he would leave at the end of the season.
However, following discussions at Laporta's home in April, Xavi reversed his decision and agreed to stay with the club under a number of unspecified conditions.
After winning LaLiga last year in Xavi's first full season in charge, he was unable to overcome a stuttering season as bitter rivals Real Madrid closed in on a possible LaLiga-Champions League double.
Barcelona were thrashed by Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final in January, knocked out of the Copa del Rey quarter-finals by Athletic Bilbao, and eliminated from the Champions League by Paris St Germain in the last-eight stage. Meanwhile, Real Madrid will face Borussia Dortmund in the final next week at Wembley Stadium.
Xavi's final match as manager will be Barcelona's trip to Sevilla on Sunday, the final LaLiga game of the season.
Xavi, 44, joined Barcelona on a three-year contract following the departure of Dutchman Ronald Koeman at the end of 2021.
Xavi is a product of Barcelona's renowned La Masia youth academy, which he joined at the age of 11.
As a player, he won 31 trophies for Barcelona and Spain, including the 2010 World Cup, two European Championships, eight LaLiga, and four Champions League titles.
He coached Barcelona in 141 games, winning 89, drawing 23, and losing 29. He led them to their 27th league title and first in four years last season.
"It is never easy to leave the club of your life, but I am very proud after two and a half years at the head of a dressing room that has been like a second family," Xavi said in an open letter published on social media.
"From Sunday I will be another fan in the stands... Because before being a player or a coach I am a Barcelona fan and I only want the best for the club in my life, which will always have me at its disposal."
"This season things have not gone our way, but we have let it go and helped to grow a new generation of young footballers from La Masia who inspire all Barcelona fans... I wish the best for the club that I hold dear to my heart."
Barcelona's on-field struggles reflect the club's off-field turmoil, which includes deepening financial issues and a refereeing scandal that could last years.
In March 2023, Spanish prosecutors filed a complaint alleging that Barcelona paid more than 7.3 million euros ($7.92 million) to firms owned by former referee Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira between 2001 and 2018.
A Barcelona court has agreed to hear the case.
Barcelona also faces significant financial challenges due to their massive wage bill, the COVID-19 pandemic, and a 1.6 billion-euro Camp Nou stadium renovation project.
SportsLigue