Barcelona President Joan Laporta stated on Tuesday that he decided to sack former midfielder Xavi Hernandez from his coaching position after he expressed doubts about the team.
Xavi, who took over Barcelona after the departure of Dutchman Ronald Koeman in 2021, led the team to win their 27th Spanish league title last season.
44-year-old Xavi was dismissed in April, just weeks after the club announced that the former captain would complete the final year of his contract and lead the team in the next season.
Laporta told the "Barca One" platform: "Xavi did a good job, taking over the team at a very difficult time, and last year we won the league and the Super Cup, but things didn't go well this year."
He added: "In February, I accepted his resignation in June because it wouldn't force us to urgently look for a replacement. Then he asked us to continue... and we were very compelled when we decided to keep him. Xavi is a legend, and his enthusiasm pushed us to agree. At the time of his change of heart, I asked him: Do you believe in the team? He said 'yes' and that he trusts this team."
He continued: "However, there were comments after that where his tone changed after talks with (sporting director) Deco regarding necessary changes to the team. This made me reconsider, and I thought of Hansi Flick to get the best out of this team."
Barcelona faced criticism for its handling of club legends like Xavi, Koeman, and all-time top scorer Lionel Messi, who left the team and joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.
Laporta said: "Everything can be done better. But what is decided and how decisions are implemented depend on the circumstances. When Xavi changed his mind, we had a very important match against Rayo, as we were competing for second place."
He added, referring to the recent announcement of Flick's appointment, "The concern about Xavi led us to rush our decision announcement. I didn't want to make people suffer because they need to know what's happening."
