Shortly before the referee blew the half-time whistle in Barcelona’s 3-0 win against Rayo Vallecano, fans at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys started chanting “Xavi si, Laporta no” — Xavi yes, Laporta no.
It was the first chant dedicated to head coach Xavi during the match and a two-minute ovation followed for the former midfielder in the second half. There were some whistles, but the majority of the crowd seemed to be backing Xavi. He did not react.
“I’m not looking for that (chants against president Joan Laporta),” Xavi said. “I want unity, consensus. I didn’t like it. I think about making a team. We are a group and even more so at Barca. It was unpleasant and I hope we can put it right.”
Barca were looking to confirm second place in La Liga and a €6million ($6.5m; £5.1m) spot in next year’s Supercopa de Espana (Spain’s equivalent of the English Community Shield) with a win — but that seemed irrelevant on Sunday.
Robert Lewandowski scored an early goal after a superb cross from Lamine Yamal and a three-minute brace from Pedri took the game away from Rayo. But the real interest was in what would happen after the match.
To understand why, it’s worth recapping a surreal week in Barcelona.
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Xavi’s Barcelona future has become a saga – Laporta and Deco’s absence in Almeria was telling
On Wednesday, Xavi gave a press conference to preview his side’s midweek game away at Almeria. In that appearance, he offered a more realistic view of the situation at Barcelona that Laporta thought clashed with the optimistic discourse from the coach in agreeing to reverse his decision to leave this summer. (The night that deal was agreed is known as “sushi night” in Barcelona as Laporta and company ordered sushi to his house to celebrate keeping Xavi).
Leaks soon followed saying that Laporta — Xavi’s last defender on the board along with vice president Rafael Yuste — was angry with Xavi because of those words before the Almeria game. It seemed as if it was the last straw for Xavi after many other situations and his continuity was in doubt.
Laporta and Xavi in last month’s press conference announcing the coach would stay (Adria Puig/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, sources in Xavi’s technical staff — who, like all those cited in this article, asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships — told The Athletic the coach had not been notified of any of this or of his position being in doubt. They said he was already planning the next season with sporting director Deco.
Information continued to emerge from the club without any statement refuting it — something Barca have regularly done this season to deny or clarify reports on other subjects.
Then Xavi appeared before the press again as his team prepared Sunday’s match against Rayo. He told them he was “very excited” to continue in charge of the team next season and insisted he had been given no indication from Laporta that he was in danger.
GO DEEPER
Xavi insists he has support of Laporta and Deco: ‘They tell me nothing has changed’
At the Lluis Companys, Xavi stepped foot on the pitch with a serious look on his face. He had not yet spoken to Laporta, although they had exchanged a few messages. The president had said it was not the right time to speak — which was Xavi’s wish — as Deco was in Portugal for personal reasons and Laporta had to go to Zaragoza for the final of the Copa de la Reina, where Barcelona’s women’s team beat Real Sociedad 8-0.
The Athletic asked members of the technical staff just before the match if they had received any news but they said no. Laporta and Deco were in the presidential box after being absent for the trip to Almeria.
There were several signs of a strange atmosphere.
Barcelona’s players tried to present a united front (Javier Borrego/Europa Press via Getty Images)
Lewandowski was far more insistent in front of goal than he has been of late — perhaps with a view to winning La Liga’s top scorer award or to send a message to Xavi after he had replaced him in recent games.
The Polish striker scored in the second minute and then asked his team-mates to join him in a group hug, giving the impression of a united dressing room. As Yamal moved away from that embrace, he waved his arms at the fans to call for their support — already one of this side’s leaders at 16 years old.
The supporters provided the ultimate barometer of events over the past week. The members of the ‘Penyes’ (supporters’ groups) spoke clearly to show they bought into Xavi’s message rather than Laporta’s. Their chants against the president showed they were fed up with the board’s decisions, which they consider to be harming the club’s image.
When the match finished, Xavi left more quickly and with a more serious expression than usual. He wanted to finish with the post-match interviews and press conference as soon as possible to talk to Laporta and Deco about what was happening — something he had wanted to do since Friday.
“At Barca, there is always noise,” he told reporters, visibly more upset than in previous appearances. “There’s a lot of media, it’s often unpleasant and cruel. They make you feel very small but you have to accept it, this is about winning games.”
GO DEEPER
Barcelona’s ‘entorno’ – the toxic mix not even Guardiola and Xavi could avoid
According to club sources, Xavi went to find Laporta after the press conference. The president congratulated him for securing second place and for the win. It was a quick chat in which Laporta said he was not feeling well after returning by car from Zaragoza the day before with a cold and fever.
In the short talk, the president postponed the meeting they were due to have until the end of the season. The idea is for it to happen after Saturday’s Women’s Champions League final against Lyon in Bilbao and the men’s game against Sevilla on the Sunday, the last of the season.
Xavi will have to wait another week to find out the outcome of one of the most hectic few days in Barca’s recent past. In the space of four months, he has announced his resignation, agreed to continue, participated in an official act in which he, Laporta and Deco shook hands and now looks as if he could leave again.
At half-time, the Catalan band Els amics de les arts performed a song from 2012 that couldn’t be more in keeping with the situation at Barcelona.
“Seen in perspective, it is very clear to him that he would not have been happy here,” the song says. “But with time, which heals everything, everything will fall into place.”
Time is what Laporta has asked Xavi for, to allow the issue to rest. But it remains to be seen whether that will heal and put everything in its place at a divided club.
(Top photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
