Sevilla Coach Sanchez Flores Condemns Barcelona Handling Of Xavi Dismissal

Sevilla’s manager, Quique Sanchez Flores, criticized Barcelona for their treatment of club legends following the announcement on Friday that coach Xavi Hernandez would be relieved of his duties at the end of the season.

Just four weeks after confirming that Xavi would see out the last year of his contract and guide them through the upcoming season, Barcelona unexpectedly terminated his contract. Xavi had initially announced his resignation at the end of the campaign in January but reversed his decision the previous month.

Flores stated the dismissal of former Barcelona player Ronald Koeman in 2021 and highlighted how the club’s financial turmoil prevented all-time top scorer Lionel Messi from signing a new contract.

“I shouldn’t say this, but how badly Barcelona treats its legends. What a bad streak,” Flores told reporters ahead of their final LaLiga game of the season against Barca.

“With Koeman, with Messi, with Xavi now, how bad. I wish clubs treated their legends well. That would be fantastic. That is a legacy of connection from the managers to the fans. This connects a lot, treating legends well,” Flores added.

“Xavi is a legend of the club. He won the league last season and football has a short memory. He was questioned this year from the first minute. I have doubts that the criticism about him is correct.”

Barcelona is set to finish the season as runners-up in La Liga behind champions Real Madrid, with Xavi remaining in charge for their upcoming match against Sevilla.

“Xavi has experienced many things as a player and has done a good job as a coach,” Flores added. “I’ll give him a huge hug, we’ll talk.”