Barcelona sack Xavi — weeks after convincing him to stay

Barcelona have announced the sacking of Xavi Hernandez as head coach of the Spanish La Liga club.

The club announced the severance in a statement on its website on Friday.

Xavi will take charge of his last match as coach of the Catalan club on Sunday, one month after the 44-year-old coach and club agreed to continue their relationship.

Xavi initially announced in January that he would leave the club at the end of the season following a string of poor results.

However, the team improved, culminating in a quarter-final berth in the UEFA Champions League. The positive results led the manager to recant his previous decision in April, which was backed by the club.

However, Xavi has been vocal about the club hierarchy in recent weeks, including his criticism of Joan Laporta, club president. Xavi’s comment attracted the attention of the club board, culminating in his exit.

The club stated that Xavi, who played 767 times for Barcelona as a player, was sacked after a meeting with club leaders, including Laporta.

“Today Friday, 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 statement reads.

“The meeting happened at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper and was also attended by sporting vice-president Rafa Yuste, director of sport Anderson Luís de Souza, Deco, Xavi, Òscar Hernández and Sergio Alegre.”

While Xavi, who captained the club as a player, was appreciated for his time as manager, the Catalan club stated it would announce a new manager in a “few days.”

Xavi was appointed Manager in November 2021 and won the Spanish La Liga title and the Spanish Super Cup in his two-and-a-half years with the club.