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Tag: laporta

  • Xavi sacking was not easy – Barca president, Laporta

    Xavi sacking was not easy – Barca president, Laporta

    Barcelona president Joan Laporta has revisited the sacking of Xavi last season.

    After first reversing his resignation decision last term, Xavi was sacked by Laporta before the end of the campaign.

    At Hansi Flick’s presentation today, Laporta stated: “I also want to refer to Xavi Hernández. The decision not to continue I have to tell you that it was not easy. I assure you.

    “Making a decision so it affects someone you appreciate and has written in gold letters the history of Barça is very hard.

    “As a Board of Directors and I as President Barça’s interests must be put before other situations. Barça as an institution is always above. We do not have the absolute truth, but we believed that it was time to make a change and give a new impulse, to make a change that obeyed the interests of Barça.

    “Barça is always ahead of private interests. I want to thank Xavi and his staff for the good work, they took Barça at a time of maximum difficulty. We won a historic League and a Super Cup, and a very clear bet was made for La Masia players, whose successes we see now.”

  • Hansi Flick will decide transfers at Barca – Laporta

    Hansi Flick will decide transfers at Barca – Laporta

    Barcelona president Joan Laporta says new coach Hansi Flick will be involved in transfers.

    Laporta touched on several transfer stories when speaking with Barca One.

    “Jules Kounde has had an incredible season, he transmits strength to me, he goes to the gym after the games, Inigo (Martinez), Sergi Roberto… We rely on everyone, but it depends on the coach,” he said.

    “If he thinks adjustments need to be made, they will be made. There are players who are ending their contract, some who have asked us to leave, those on loan are coming back, like Ansu Fati, who has a tremendous desire to succeed according to what I read.

    “Flick and Deco are deciding how the squad will look, the additions, the departures, the changes in physical preparation, rules in internal discipline, schedules at the Ciutat Esportiva… They will make the decisions, they will submit them to the board of directors and we will see. If they can be validated depending on this transition we are making towards economic peace of mind.”

    He also said: “It is not necessary as of today. There is a breach of contract by one of the partners who were going to join (Libero), and if we solve it, it will give us the ability to spend without restrictions. There are deals in motion that are allowing us grow our sponsorship. That is why I value so much the trust and patience of the cules who value the sense of responsibility that we have. An effort has been made, an exercise in resistance, we have peace of mind, let’s not rush now.”

  • El Classico: We will push for a rematch against Real Madrid if……. Barcelona president, Laporta

    El Classico: We will push for a rematch against Real Madrid if……. Barcelona president, Laporta

    Joan Laporta, the president of Barcelona has said that  they will ask for a rematch of Sunday’s La Liga clash against Real Madrid, if they can prove beyond reasonable doubt that Yamal’s goal was an incorrect call.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Jude Bellingham scored a late winner as Real won the El Clasico 3-2 at the Santiago Bernabeu.

    But there was a moment of controversy, after Lamine Yamal thought he had given Barca the lead with a flick from a corner, with the scores still at 1-1.

    Yamal’s strike seemed to have crossed the line before  Ukrainian goalkeeper, Andriy Lunin,  managed to push the ball away from clearly entering the net.

    But La Liga has no goal-line technology in play and as a result, the referee waved play on and the VAR couldn’t ascertain  if it had indeed crossed the line, with only two angles available on the replay.

    Laporta has now confirmed they are waiting for all the images and audios from the incident.

    “We asked the RFEF to provide us with all the images and audios of Lamine’s cancelled goal.

    “If it was a legal goal, we do not rule out asking to re-play the match.

    “We will go further, we do not rule out anything.”

  • We’ll talk with Xavi again at season’s end – Laporta

    We’ll talk with Xavi again at season’s end – Laporta

    Barcelona president Joan Laporta has reaffirmed hopes of Xavi reversing his resignation decision.

    Xavi is to step down at the end of the season.

    Laporta told Sport: “We have committed to Xavi who we will talk about at the end of the season. Sometimes decisions are reconsidered. Let’s imagine getting a title…

    “I think Xavi will think about it and tell us what he wants to do. If we win a title obviously I would like Xavi to continue, I’ve already told him that. I insist on saying that I accepted this formula because he is Xavi and since I know him, we have an excellent relationship. He was very skilled, he is a legend and has a lot of experience.

    “He knew he would do better this way, he felt stronger.”

  • ‘We saved the club financially’ – Laporta celebrates La Liga title

    ‘We saved the club financially’ – Laporta celebrates La Liga title

    Barcelona president Joan Laporta was left delighted after their La Liga title triumph.

    Barca are champions after victory at Espanyol on Sunday.

    Laporta said: “It’s a historic evening, it’s a historic championship.

    “Winning with four matchdays to go… We’re champions. We controlled the match from the first moment, we deserve the win and the championship.

    “It’s a joyful Sunday. We saved the club financially and gave Barcelona joy back. We want this to be the first major title of a wonderful era.”

  • I want Messi to return to Barca – Laporta

    I want Messi to return to Barca – Laporta

    Barcelona president Joan Laporta has declared he wants to bring back Lionel Messi from Paris Saint-Germain.

    Messi, 35, is off contract at PSG in June, though there’s claims he has informed the Parisians he wants to stay next season.

    Laporta, meanwhile, said today: “I want him to return to Barca, I want that. But it is not something that we can expect. He has just won the World Cup and that has made ‘Culés’ very happy because he has fought for it.

    “For us, he is the best player of all time. The club is in his heart and he will always be linked to Barca regardless of whether he returns as a player or not.

    “He is now a PSG player. But we would very much like him to return to Barca, so we have to look at it.”

  • Xavi knows Barca and the system perfectly – Laporta

    Xavi knows Barca and the system perfectly – Laporta

    Barcelona president Joan Laporta says coach Xavi understands the club system perfectly and also retains the board’s confidence.

    Barca are reeling after their draw with Inter Milan left their chances of reaching the Champions League round of 16 hanging by a thread.

    Ahead of Sunday’s El Clasico against Real Madrid, Laporta stressed that “confidence in Xavi remains intact, yes, of course.” And he added: “He knows the club and the system perfectly. He is a great person, a great coach, who will give us more success.”

    Laporta revealed how he found Xavi after the draw against Inter.

    “I saw him sad, touched, hurt. This also affected me because we were all touched,” he admitted. But he stressed that “Xavi has a virtue, that no one I’ve ever met has. Once we’re in a difficult situation, he immediately sees the positive side.”

    The president also explained that he encouraged Xavi: “I told him to go ahead. Let’s not think about the Champions League anymore and we are going to focus on the League. We are on the same page, convinced and focused on LaLiga.

    “We all had many illusions deposited in continuity in the Champions League, but after going through a few touched moments, I already see him strong. We will see each other tomorrow, we will go to Madrid together. It is an important game, at the Bernabéu, a game that we like to play.”

  • Laporta tells De Jong only way he can stay at Barca

    Laporta tells De Jong only way he can stay at Barca

    Barcelona president Joan Laporta has told Frenkie de Jong there’s only one way he can stay this season.

    Laporta has held his stance in making it very clear to the Dutch midfielder that, if he wants to stay, he will have to accept a sizeable salary reduction.

    “We are going to do everything possible for him to stay and we hope that the player will also do everything possible to stay. We all have to make an effort,” he reflected. “We find ourselves with a wage bill that has shot up by more than 40 per cent. What is clear is that we have a new wage scale and all the players have to fit into it.

    The Barça boss, however, has stressed that “he wants to stay and we want him to stay. That’s the most important thing,” he added.

    On the excitement over the arrival of Jules Koundé, he has claimed that the French centre-back “wanted to come for a lesser salary than elsewhere”.

  • I don’t speak with Messi, no plans to re-sign him – Laporta

    I don’t speak with Messi, no plans to re-sign him – Laporta

    Barcelona president Joan Laporta admits he no longer speaks with Lionel Messi after his controversial move to PSG.

    Laporta was excited at the idea of Messi being present for the inauguration of the new Camp Nou, even though it’s a long way away, because it would be “beautiful.”

    However, he recognised that “there’s no personal contact, I remember him with affection and I hope he feels the same. It was not easy for me, I would have liked things to go differently, but as they happened, I thought of the institution first and I think we did what we had to do.”

    In that sense, he doesn’t see any chance of Messi coming back as a player: “We’re not considering it. We’re building a new team with young players, but he deserves respect.”

    Laporta added: “I don’t speak with him, I don’t have fluid communication with him like before he left. We hear comments from people close to him… Barcelona pulls you a lot and when you leave you miss the city, Barça, he had a great life here. I felt worse for the personal and family side of things than the other, but also that.”

  • Again, Ronald Koeman slams Barca president Laporta

    Again, Ronald Koeman slams Barca president Laporta

    Former Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman has taken a new swipe at president Joan Laporta.

    Koeman has recalled how he was axed earlier this season.

    He said, “How did Laporta fire me? One thing that hurt me was that the players were sitting behind us on the plane, while I had to go sit next to him.

    “He is always saying it, that I am a legend of the club… Prove it then!

    “I immediately understood that I was not Laporta’s coach. He didn’t choose me. They didn’t give me the same time they are giving Xavi. Then he told me a thousand times that he would never choose him because he lacked experience. However, I am happy that the team is better now, I also see (Frenkie) De Jong more involved in the game.”