TheNewsGuru

Tag: Barca

  • Barca presidential candidate: Ronald Koeman is already fed-up

    Barca presidential candidate: Ronald Koeman is already fed-up

    Barcelona presidential candidate Jordi Farre believes coach Ronald Koeman has been let down this season.

    Farre says the Dutchman would remain in charge should he win the January election.

    He said, “He is a Barça legend. When we win I will talk to him and tell him about our sports director, who will be able to be announced to you in a few days, because he is leaving a club.

    “We will talk to him and find out what he wants to do, if he likes the project he will continue because he is a legend but I don’t know if he wants to continue. He entered with a project and I know that he is already fed up.

    “I hope he renews the day after my election.”

  • La Liga: Barca lose to Cadiz for first time since 1991

    La Liga: Barca lose to Cadiz for first time since 1991

    Cadiz beat Barcelona for the first time in La Liga since 1991 as former Manchester City striker Alvaro Negredo scored a famous winner.

    It was a first home win in the top flight against any opposition for promoted Cadiz since 2006 and takes them four points above Barcelona.

    Alvaro Gimenez put Cadiz in front before an own goal from Pedro Alcala brought Barca, who are seventh, level.

    Negredo took advantage of shambolic defending to score the winner.

    The 35-year-old, who had only been on the pitch for 44 seconds, closed down Marc-Andre ter Stegen before rounding the sliding Frenkie de Jong to tap into an empty net.

    BBC

  • Messi, Barca fined for Maradona tribute

    Messi, Barca fined for Maradona tribute

    Lionel Messi and Barcelona have been fined a combined £706 after the player was shown a yellow card for lifting his shirt to pay tribute to the late Diego Maradona following his goal in Sunday’s 4-0 win over Osasuna.

    Messi, who was fined £543 while his club were fined £162, paid homage to his late compatriot by taking off his Barcelona jersey to reveal a Newell’s Old Boys shirt belonging to Maradona, a gesture that was praised around the world.

    The Spanish Soccer Federation’s competition committee showed little sympathy when upholding the rules, rejecting Barcelona’s protests against the punishment and their suggestion it should be waived as the gesture was a tribute to Maradona.

    The committee’s statement said that while it accepted the gesture was a tribute, article 93 of the disciplinary code states that a player should be punished for removing their shirt when celebrating, irrespective of the motive.

    The statement added that Messi could only have had the sanction waived if he had been given the booking in error.

    Messi supports Newell’s Old Boys and played for the club’s junior team before leaving for Barca aged 13.

    He had also paid tribute to Maradona, who played for the Rosario side in 1993, when the World Cup winner died last Wednesday.

    “He has left us but he isn’t going anywhere because Diego is eternal,” Messi wrote on Instagram.

  • La Liga: Xavi is ready for Barca job – Gabi

    La Liga: Xavi is ready for Barca job – Gabi

    Former Atletico Madrid captain Gabi says Xavi is ready for the Barcelona job.

    Gabi played for Barca legend Xavi at Al Sadd last season and has just announced his retirement.

    He told El Larguero: “He is ready for Barcelona and I am sure we will see him there soon too.

    “I don’t know anything about it, but all the presidential candidates are talking about him.

    “He is someone who is involved in football 24 hours a day.”

  • ‘Barca have not even called to tell me I am dismissed’

    ‘Barca have not even called to tell me I am dismissed’

    Quique Setien says he is yet to receive any compensation after being sacked by La Liga side Barcelona, and that the club have “have not even called to tell me I am dismissed”.

    Former Real Betis boss Setien was handed a two-and-a-half-year contract at Camp Nou in January after being drafted in to replace Ernesto Valverde in the dugout.

    However, the 62-year-old only lasted eight months in the role as he was unable to prevent Barca from recording their first trophyless season since 2007-08.

    “In my case, Quique Setien, it is public and well known that on August 17, both the club and the president announced my dismissal with immediate effect,” he said in an official statement.

    “However, it was not until yesterday, September 16 (one month later), when they sent me, for the first time, the written communication of said dismissal (without any settlement).”

    The Spaniard has now revealed he is still waiting for reimbursement from the Blaugrana, and that he still hasn’t been contacted by anyone from the club over the cancellation of his contract.

    “Barca have not compensated me, nor have they offered me anything,” Setien told COPE.

    “They have not even called me to tell me that I am dismissed.”

  • Antonio Rudiger back on Barcelona radar

    Antonio Rudiger back on Barcelona radar

    Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger remains on Barcelona’s radar.

    Barca made an attempt for Rudiger in the final days of the summer market and are still keen, reports Mundo Deportivo.

    Barca will seek to set up a loan arrangement for Rudiger, who would arrive as cover for knee injury victim Gerard Pique. Pique isn’t expected to be seen again until March – at the earliest.

    Rudiger has recently forced his way back into Chelsea’s first team and has declared a wish to remain in London.

    But a guarantee of regular football may convince the German as he seeks to stay in Jogi Low’s plans for next year’s Euros.

  • Barca coach Ronald Koeman agrees wage reduction

    Barca coach Ronald Koeman agrees wage reduction

    Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman is set to take a cut on his wages.

    With Barca’s finances at a delicate point, Mundo Deportivo says Koeman has agreed to take a wage reduction to help the club through these times.

    Barca are seeking to wipe €191m from their annual wage bill to help balance the books.

    Koeman has agreed to a cut, as has his staff, and this has been communicated to the leader of the interim board, Carles Tusquets.

    The Dutchman will inform his players of his decision at training today – though will insist any choice regarding pay-cuts must be decided individually.

    Marc André ter Stegen, Frenkie de Jong and Clément Lenglet are three players who have agreed to pay-cuts.

  • Barca will rename stadium after Messi – Rousaud

    Barca will rename stadium after Messi – Rousaud

    Barcelona presidential candidate Emili Rousaud has promised to hold a referendum on renaming the club’s stadium after star player Lionel Messi.

    The Catalan side will elect a new president in January to replace Josep Maria Bartomeu, who resigned from his post last month as the entire board – including Rousaud – stepped down.

    “We will hold a referendum to change the name of the stadium to Camp Nou – Leo Messi,” he told reporters.

    Rousaud has also pledged to add more star quality to the Blaugrana squad if he is elected, promising to bring Neymar back from Paris Saint-Germain.

    “We’re going to sign two top players, one of them is Neymar,” he added. “We are working to bring him back to Barcelona if he withdraws the lawsuit he has against the club.

  • Barca won’t re-sign Neymar if I’m president – Freixa

    Barca won’t re-sign Neymar if I’m president – Freixa

    Barcelona presidential candidate Toni Freixa has ruled out bringing Neymar back to the club.

    Before his resignation, former president Josep Maria Bartomeu had explored re-signing Neymar from PSG this year.

    But Freixa has made it clear there’d be no place for the Brazil captain at Barca should he win the January 24 election.

    “Neymar, due to his performance, is not even among the 30 best players in Europe right now. If I were president, I would not sign him,” he said.

    Freixa also insists Ronald Koeman will remain as coach in his administration.

  • Messi made me want to quit football – Boateng

    Messi made me want to quit football – Boateng

    Former Ghana international Kevin-Prince Boateng has said that he found Lionel Messi to be so good during his stint at Barcelona, that he thought about hanging up his boots entirely.

    Boateng joined the Catalan outfit in a surprise loan move from Sassuolo in January 2019, and managed to win a La Liga title in his six-month stint despite earning little playing time.

    The 33-year-old would subsequently move on to Fiorentina and then Besiktas before joining Serie B outfit Monza ahead of the current season.

    Recalling his time at Camp Nou in the 2018-19 season, Boateng admits that he could scarcely believe he was wanted by a club like Barca when he got word of their interest.

    “The six months at Barcelona were incredible,” Boateng told DAZN . “At first, I didn’t believe it. I thought it was Espanyol who wanted me, not the real Barcelona!

    “Training with Messi left me speechless. I had always said that Cristiano Ronaldo was the best in the world, but Messi is something else. He’s not normal.

    “While training with him, I felt inadequate for the first time in my career. He was doing incredible things. I felt like saying, ‘I’m done, I’m going to quit playing!’”