Football: FC Barcelona sacks coach Ronald Koeman

Published on : 10/28/2021 – 03:53

From the Netherlands to Barcelona, ​​as a player and then as a coach, the Dutchman Ronald Koeman has built a reputation for insatiable ambition, fueled by multiple trophies, before his devastating dismissal by Barça.

“FC Barcelona removed Ronald Koeman from his duties as coach of the first team this night,” the Catalan club announced in a statement on the night of Wednesday 27 to Thursday 28 October, specifying that President Joan Laporta had already communicated this decision to the coach.

The 58-year-old Dutchman was ousted just after a defeat (0-1) on the lawn of the modest Rayo Vallecano. Barca have never won away from home this season, and haven’t even scored away from Camp Nou since August.

And this decision comes three days after a scathing defeat in the Clasico de Liga against Real Madrid, Sunday at Camp Nou (2-1), and while Barça stagnates in ninth place in the Spanish championship and is on the verge of elimination in the Champions League.

Criticized for weeks

Arrived at Barça in August 2020, the dream of a summer night already almost turned into a nightmare for the Dutchman from his debut: the superstar Lionel Messi proclaims his desires elsewhere, the results are not there, with the only trophy a Spanish Cup 2021, and the stadiums are emptied by the pandemic.

Criticized for several weeks, Koeman had already come close to being ousted at the end of September, when Barça had just been corrected 3-0 at Camp Nou by Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

The Dutch technician then asked the leaders to clarify the situation, and President Laporta appeared before the press before a Champions League match in Lisbon (lost 3-0 to Benfica) to say that the club was counting on Koeman.

With AFP