Xavi Hernandez reveals details behind FC Barcelona exit in criticism of Joan Laporta ahead of club elections | OneFootball

The presidential elections process is already underway at FC Barcelona, and the final polling is set to take place in only a few days’ time. Joan Laporta is looking highly likely to return as the president once again.

However, the former president is not going to have a very easy way back to the presidency, even with all the sporting and financial progress shown by the club in recent months and years. In fact, he faced a very harsh attack from the former Blaugrana midfielder and coach Xavi Hernandez only yesterday.

As Mundo Deportivo has reported, In an interview with La Vanguardia, Xavi opened up on how power actually works at Barcelona and also revealed the role of Laporta, and more importantly, his assistant, Alejandro Echevarria, in his dismissal as the head coach in a recent interview. In this regard, Xavi said:

He then went further by claiming that Echevarría holds enormous influence within the club and was personally responsible for his departure:

“That is how this Barça works; practically, Alejandro Echevarría runs it. He was a person with whom I had an intimate relationship, a friendship, and for that reason, it is perhaps the biggest disappointment in my exit from Barça. He failed me completely.”

Xavi then began describing the timeline that led to his eventual exit from the Catalan club, starting from the moment he initially decided to leave:

“In January of my final season, I told them that I would not continue past June for the good of the club and my own. From there, the team started winning, and for two or three months—until we lost in the Champions League to PSG and the League to Madrid—they were constantly telling me I had to stay, trying to convince me.”

The former coach explained that he even discussed the situation directly with Echevarría, whom he believes had the final say in major decisions:

“I actually had a face-to-face meeting with Alejandro because I know he decides everything, and I asked him how he saw it. I said, ‘Look, I have doubts because you’re telling me to continue, but I don’t see it clearly,’ and he told me yes, that they were preparing for next year, planning, that the president was certain…”

He then described how the situation suddenly changed after Barcelona’s elimination from the Champions League:

Then came the elimination against PSG… At that moment, Alejandro called me—I remember because I was picking up the kids from school—and told me we had to meet, that the board had met, and the majority didn’t see my continuity clearly. Alejandro told me to come to the training center, and I told him there was no problem, that I had already said I was leaving and had no need to continue.”

Xavi also recalled a private dinner with Laporta that convinced him to reconsider his departure and remain in charge:

“At the president’s house. There, Laporta—who also didn’t tell the truth afterward—convinced me to stay. He told me verbatim: ‘Xavi, I don’t see the team without you, I don’t see the new Camp Nou without you, I don’t see the club’s 125th anniversary without you as coach.’ Since I still had motivation and saw a great future for the team with the talented generation of youngsters coming up, I felt capable. I only asked for one change in the squad.”

According to Xavi, tensions escalated during a planning meeting when the discussion turned to the club’s physical preparation:

“What was the problem? A planning meeting arrived with my staff and Raúl Martínez and Julio Tous—new fitness coaches we had agreed with Alejandro and Deco would join—and that’s when Alejandro started shouting, saying the physical preparation was a disaster.”

He also strongly rejected the claim that Barcelona’s physical condition was a weakness under his management:

“And was it true? That was talked about in the media… I interrupted him and told him it wasn’t like that. There is data showing that since 2003, there hasn’t been a Barça team that ran more than our title-winning side. We never lost due to physical issues. It was the narrative they fabricated to get rid of me. And one of those who contributed was Raúl Martínez, another close friend who bought into Alejandro’s narrative to oust me.”

The former Barcelona midfielder also described the moment he realized the decision about his future had already been made:

“I asked him what his exact position was, because Deco, the sporting director, and Bojan, his assistant, were present. That’s when it was decided that I wouldn’t continue, but instead of telling me to my face — saying ‘look, you’re out’ — two or three weeks passed.”

Xavi further claimed that the club leadership tried to damage his relationship with the players by spreading false information:

“They launched a media campaign against me and, what is worse and more disappointing, Alejandro started talking with players like Sergi Roberto, Ronald Araújo, Pedri, or Raphinha, and told them that I wanted to sell them.”

He denied ever proposing a long list of departures and said the planning only involved a single potential sale due to financial restrictions:

“That still hurts me because it isn’t true. We did planning because we were very restricted by Fair Play, and we only talked about making one sale. In fact, we planned it with Jordi and Mateu; we only dispensed with one player. Which player? I prefer not to say out of respect for that footballer.”

Xavi also revealed that the communication with the club leadership stopped completely during the final weeks of uncertainty:

“I remember those two or three weeks passed without them picking up the phone or answering messages. I trusted Laporta, and Alejandro was my friend, but he is the one who threw me out of the club.”

He then described how one of the players approached him after hearing rumors about his future plans:

“There is a moment in which Sergi Roberto, who is my friend and was captain, comes to me and says, ‘Xavi, do you really not want me to continue?’. And I told him it was the complete opposite, that they were killing me precisely for defending his renewal. And then he tells me that Mr. Alejandro is spreading that to several players.”

Xavi also defended his direct communication style with players during his time as coach:

“I was always straightforward. I did it with Piqué, a teammate for years, and with Jordi Alba, my friend, I told him it was time to go. How was I not going to do it with the others?”

He then addressed accusations from the president that he wanted multiple players to leave the club:

“I have been holding back, but the president is saying that I wanted ten departures, and it isn’t true.”

Finally, Xavi also spoke about the role of sporting director Deco, suggesting that he does not have full autonomy in decision-making:

This is quite a harsh attack against Joan Laporta and his administration by one of the biggest players in Barcelona history. It remains to be seen how it will impact the elections, but these statements have definitely come at a crucial time, and might have significant political implications for the club.