The Football Club Barcelona (FCB) announced this Friday that President Joan Laporta has stated that Xavi Hernández will not continue as the coach of the first team in the 2024-25 season.
"FC Barcelona wants to thank Xavi for his work as a coach, which adds to an unparalleled career as a player and captain of the team, and wishes him all the luck in the world," says the brief press release published by Barça.
The meeting where the dismissal was announced took place at the Joan Gamper Sports City and was attended by Rafa Yuste, sports vice president; Anderson Luís de Souza (Deco), sports director, as well as Xavi's assistants, Òscar Hernández and Sergio Alegre.
Xavi Hernández will manage his last match as head coach of the first team in Seville this Sunday, May 26th.
Although the official statement indicated that FC Barcelona will announce the new structure of the first team in the coming days, Sport reported that the German Hans Flick has agreed to sign for a salary 30% lower than what Xavi Hernández was going to receive next season.
Flick would sign for two seasons until 2026. It remains to be seen whether the two years are guaranteed or if Barça opts for the 1+1 formula with the second year subject to objectives, as stated by the source.
Regarding the atmosphere of the meeting this Friday, Sport reports that Laporta left without speaking and avoiding the media, just like a very serious Rafael Yuste.
It is assumed that the meeting has been marked by tension.
Xavi Hernández will have to attend the press this Saturday at the Ciutat Esportiva before the Barça - Sevilla match.
Since there is no agreement, Xavi must continue working in order to receive payment for the remaining year of his contract for himself and his staff.
The announcement comes a few days after some words from Xavi that displeased the board, when he resorted to economic reasons of the club to partly justify the poor results and anticipate that not much can be expected in this context.
On that occasion, Xavi said that the Barça fans must understand that "the situation is very difficult" and that in economic terms it has nothing to do with that of 25 years ago, when the coach asked for the players he wanted and got them.
Xavier Hernández, 44, is a legendary figure of the team in Barça's golden times in the current century. His first chapter at the Club was successful and lasted for 24 years.
Since his promotion to the first team in the summer of 1998 under coach Louis Van Gaal, Xavi was a starter in the midfield for a whopping 17 seasons during which the team won 25 titles.
Later on, he left Barça to go to Al Sadd. An experience in the Middle East that ended with Xavi's return home.
Xavi Hernández became the coach of the Blaugrana in November 2021. During his two seasons in charge of Barça, the results have not been as expected. He won the Spanish Super Cup and the League, but on both occasions, he crashed out in the Champions League.
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