Barcelona President Joan Laporta has finally explained his decision to sack Xavi Hernandez, a week on from appointing Hansi Flick as the new manager and two weeks on from letting the former go. It is the first time he has spoken publicly since.

While rumours were abound that Xavi could be relieved of his duties, the decision to do so still shocked the footballing world, given Laporta had publicly ratified Xavi’s continuity for next season just a month earlier.

Speaking to Barca One, the club’s channel, Laporta gave an interview in which he explained his thinking behind the decision.

“Xavi did a good job. He took over the team at a time of maximum difficulty. Last year he won La LIga and the Super Cup. This season things have not gone well, to the point that Xavi said he would not continue. I accepted it to end the season because Xavi is a cule at heart and it was better not to change coaches in the middle of the season.”

“He didn’t seem able to continue withstanding the pressure. Then there is a press conference in which he changes his discourse and a meeting with the sporting director in which he changes his requests. That makes me think that a new impetus must be given to the team to get the ball rolling and get the maximum performance from this squad. We had the option of  Hansi Flick, who seems capable of competing against anyone with this squad. That was decisive. I think we have finished in a very elegant way with Xavi. He has kept his word, and so have we. We have reached an agreement. He has his doors open because he is a Culer. We finished well and now we are making a turn in order to continue winning.”

He also explained that things were not quite right when he took the decision to publicly back Xavi, and that a change in the former manager’s demands was crucial in his dismissal.

“Everything was very forced when we decided to continue with him. Xavi is a legend and his enthusiasm led us to take the decision to ratify him. From the moment he made those statements [that Barcelona would struggle to compete with their squad], when he changes his demands in a substantial way, the sporting commission did not believe completely in his continuity, and I had the perception that I had to give a new impetus to the team. The board has the power to make these decisions and rectify them, as did Xavi.”

Laporta was asked whether he took the decision on his own, or whether others had their say, including Sporting Director Deco.

“I assume responsibility for the decision as for all decisions, along with my management. But we also took into account the decision of the sports management, and since we had the option of Flick, we decided to take the decision. It gave us a lot of confidence to see that he knows the squad more than we thought.”

It’s a reasoning that has been filtered out through leaks in the last couple of weeks, but one that still will cause concern for Barcelona fans. Laporta seemingly knew it was wrong to back Xavi at the time, and yet continued to barrel ahead with Xavi captaining the ship. Equally, many have pointed out that Xavi’s statements on the financial situation of the club were realistic.

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