RSS Feed

Tech Support

Juan Laporta, president of Spanish Primera Liga FC Barcelona, stressed that he would trust Xavi Hernandez until the end of the season. "If it were not for Xavi, I would have held him responsible for his recent poor performance," he said, making it clear that he would end this season under Xavi.

In an interview with Spanish radio station RAC1 on Sunday, Laporta talked about Xavi. "When I went to the dressing room after losing 3-5 against Villarreal, Xavi told me about his resignation," he said. "I was surprised that the situation was completely unexpected." "Xavi is an honest man. He has absolute dignity. I listened to him carefully because I really love Barcelona," he said. "He was under a lot of pressure. I think he thought it was best to free himself from the players."

He added that he is postponing his resignation in respect of Xavi's opinion. "I hoped that Xavi would continue to lead the team until the end of the season. Although he resigned, he showed dignity and responsibility," he said. "I will not dismiss him until the end of the season because he is Xavi, not someone else."

Xavi announced his resignation after losing 3-5 at home to Villarreal on June 28. "I am stepping down as Barcelona manager after this season. I have already discussed with other club officials." The Barcelona team immediately announced on its website that it will break up with Xavi after this season. It announced on June 30 that it will end his partnership when his contract expires.

Barcelona, which is under Xavi's leadership this season, is in a crisis of no involvement. The team lost face to archrival Real Madrid 1-4 in the final of the Supercopa de España, and failed to advance to the semifinals as it lost to Athletic Bilbao 2-4 in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey. In La Liga, the team was ranked in third place, eight points behind leader Real Madrid (58 points), and in the UEFA Champions League, it advanced to the round of 16 and is facing a showdown with Napoli.

Did the team get a boost from the re-confidence motion of the team's chairman? Barcelona won both of its matches after Xavi announced his resignation. It beat Osasuna 1-0 on Wednesday and Alaves 3-1 on Wednesday. It jumped to third place with two consecutive wins in La Liga, and narrowed the gap with Real Madrid, the first place, to less than 10 points.