Barcelona president Joan Laporta has reacted to Xavi Hernandez’s strong statements, which have shocked the club and could have an impact on the upcoming elections for the club’s leadership.
Over the weekend, Xavi gave an interview where he claimed that his dismissal in the summer of 2024 was not a direct decision by Laporta, but by his advisor Alejandro Echevarria, who he said is running the club from behind the scenes.
In a presidential debate with rival Victor Font, Laporta reacted to these accusations and categorically denied them, also defending the decision to sack Xavi.
“It hurt me. When I saw these statements I thought of Flick. It’s difficult to be president, because you have to make difficult decisions. With Xavi I saw that we would continue to lose if he stayed, and it calms me to see how things have gone since he left. The same players who lost with Xavi, now win with Flick.”
Laporta also suggested that other interests could lie behind the former coach’s statements, indirectly mentioning his rival in the race for the club’s presidency.
“What hurts me is that people have been used to attack me, even someone from my circle of trust like Echevarria. They defended him even when it was inexcusable for him to continue, even Yuste. Xavi wants to create chaos, but behind him there is someone who is pulling the strings, and I think it is Victor Font. He is trying to contaminate this electoral process. He even finds it convenient for a member to file complaints full of lies and slander. It is a style that I do not like.”
The Barcelona president also dismissed Xavi’s claim that he had rejected Lionel Messi’s return in 2023 due to fears of a power struggle with the club icon.
“We have proposed to make a statue for Messi and organize a tribute match when the stadium is finished. When Messi could not renew for financial reasons, Xavi came to me in 2023 and told me that he wanted to return. This was in mid-March. In May, Jorge Messi told me that it would be too much pressure and that they preferred to go to Inter Miami.”