La Liga
Even with Sergi Barjuan as interim manager, Xavi close to becoming new Barcelona head coach
Barcelona have reached an agreement with Xavi to become their new head coach, reports in Spain say, with the club already announcing the appointment of Sergi Barjuan as interim boss.
The Catalan giants sacked Ronald Koeman on Wednesday night after the 1-0 defeat to Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday left Barça languishing in ninth place in La Liga.
58-year-old Koeman was given the dreaded vote of confidence by president Joan Laporta in September after a terrible start to the new season, and at that point, Barça’s board made it clear they wanted to Xavi to come in.
Laporta agreed with his fellow directors that was the best course of action, and has since been trying to convince Xavi – as 90min confirmed – to make a return to the club.
That plan has now accelerated with Koeman’s departure.
90min sources indicated early on Thursday that Xavi was ready to accept the role, and Sport say that personal terms on a deal are in fact agreed – and include appointing his brother Oscar and Sergio Alegre as assistants, and Ivan Torres as a fitness coach.
Barcelona now just need to reach an agreement with Al-Sadd over compensation, and it’s believed that Xavi does have a release clause written into his contract.
The axe finally fell on Koeman after another disastrous Barcelona display – that included a Memphis Depay missed penalty – saw the club slip further off the pace in La Liga. It’s understood that Barça officials made contact with Xavi to let him know Koeman’s sacking was coming, and that he needed to make a decision on his future – whether that be in Catalunya or not.
Al-Sadd have maintained throughout that they will not stand in Xavi’s way should Barcelona’s former midfield talisman wish to return, and that appears to be the decision he has made.
Barjuan’s appointment as interim head coach is likely to last a couple of games at least; 90min understands that Xavi’s first game in the dugout could be the local derby with Espanyol on 20 November.
It was mission accomplished, said Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti after his side fought back from two-goals behind to snatch a rip-roaring 4-4 draw on Tuesday for a 5-4 aggregate win that put them through to the Copa del Rey final.
Ancelotti brushed off questions about a sub-par performance by his side and praised his players’ effort in what he considered a highly entertaining encounter.
“We have achieved our goal today which was to reach the final and there is not much time to think about it,” Ancelotti told a press conference.
“It was an entertaining game with some mistakes and a lot of good things. It was fun and we are in the final.
“I never saw ourselves out of it because anything can happen at the Bernabeu. When we have to come from behind, we never give up. We never give up, especially at home, with the fans by our side.”
Ancelotti said David Alaba was not to blame after he deflected two balls into his own goal, calling it “bad luck” by the Austrian defender, but urged his defence to play with better focus moving forward.
“It’s not good to concede four goals in a game,” Ancelotti said.
“Right now we are a team that has a lot of effectiveness up-front, but little balance.
“However, we can’t ignore what we did in attack, scoring four goals against Real is not that easy. I think we are doing quite well.”
Real Madrid, who have won the Spanish Cup only once in over a decade, will play either Barcelona or Atletico Madrid in a mouth-watering final in Seville next month.
Atletico fought back to hold Barca to a thrilling 4-4 draw ahead of Wednesday’s second-leg in Madrid.
-Reuters
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Real Madrid’s legendary coach Carlo Ancelotti will go on trial next week for allegedly failing to declare income to Spain’s tax office, the Madrid court which will hear the case has said.
Prosecutors are seeking a jail term of four years and nine months for the 65-year-old Italian, accusing him of having cost Spain’s treasury more than one million euros ($1.1 million) in undeclared earnings from image rights in 2014 and 2015.
The trial will begin on Wednesday and it is expected to last two days, a spokesman for the court said.
Ancelotti, who as a coach has won a record five Champions League trophies including three with Real, must be present for the hearings, he added.
Prosecutors accuse him of only declaring in his tax returns the personal remuneration received from Real Madrid during those two years even though he himself declared himself to be a tax resident in Spain and indicated his home was in Madrid.
They accuse Ancelotti of allegedly setting up a “confusing” and “complex” system of shell companies to hide his extra earnings from his image rights as well as from other sources such as real estate.
A Spanish court in 2023 ordered Ancelotti to stand trial over the affair, but did not set a date.
Ancelotti dismissed the affair last year as “an old story that I hope will be resolved soon” when he was asked about the case.
He took over at Real Madrid in 2013, leaving in May 2015, before being appointed at Bayern Munich the following year.
The former Italy international midfielder, who as a player won the European Cup twice with AC Milan, later managed Napoli and Everton before returning to Real Madrid in 2021.
Aside from his success in the Champions League he has won domestic league titles with Madrid and Milan, in England with Chelsea, in Germany with Bayern Munich and in France with Paris Saint-Germain.
-AFP
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Spain’s former soccer chief Luis Rubiales told Reuters on Thursday he would appeal a court ruling which found him guilty of sexual assault for kissing player Jenni Hermoso without her consent.-
-Reuters
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