Ronald Koeman is no longer Barcelona's general manager. On Wednesday, just hours after another embarrassing defeat, the club dismissed the 58-year-old Dutch coach, this time away from home, with Radamel Falcao scoring the winning goal. According to CBS Sports insider Fabricio Romano, the Braunerlana club held an emergency meeting with chairman Joan Laporta and the board of directors immediately after the election results were announced to determine Coman's fate.
Romano reported that the Barcelona board has been in contact with Xavi for several weeks on the replacement of club legend Koeman, but Barca are still awaiting negotiations. The former Barca star currently coaches Qatar Star League club Al Sadd. Another name to consider is Roberto Martinez, who is currently managing Belgium for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in Qatar.
The club issued the following statement:
FC Barcelona dismissed Ronald Coman from his first-team coaching position. Club president Joan Laporta informed him of the decision after losing to Vallecano. Ronald Koeman will bid farewell to the team at Espoteva Stadium on Thursday.
FC Barcelona thanked him for the service he had done for the club and wished him every success in his career.
Koeman was the most memorable club legend of the early 1990s, taking over as manager in August 2020 and winning the Real Madrid Cup in his first season despite leading the team to a disappointing third place in La Liga. During the off-season, the club was unable to keep Messi due to salary cap restrictions, and this pressure has continued, thanks in part to the long period of fiscal mismanagement under the leadership of previous presidents.
Without Messi, Barcelona are in the process of rebuilding, with several young, promising players – Pedri, 18, and starting Ansu Fati – already signed long-term deals with the club and hold a $1 billion severance clause. Garvey, 17, and Nico Gonzalez, 19, are among Spain's most famous emerging talents. Others worth mentioning: 20-year-old American Serginho Destin and 22-year-old Riggy Puig and Ronald Arajo.
Barcelona are currently ninth in La Liga, losing four of their last five league games, including last weekend's game against Real Madrid. The day after that defeat, the club condemned the "acts of violence and contempt" as videos on social media showed fans screaming obscenities, violently knocking on and blocking Koeman's car as they tried to drive away from Camp Nou on the night of El Klasico's defeat.
Wednesday's defeat to Rayo was the last straw for a club legend – responsible for the winning free kick in the 1992 Euro 2092 final victory over Sampdoria – whose vacancy could be filled by another club legend. The 41-year-old Xavi is Barcelona's four-time Champions League winner, arguably the most successful period in the club's history. Barca sat in a six-point four-way stalemate to finish first in Spain.
Halfway through the Champions League group stage, Barca finished third with three points (one win, two losses), one point behind second-placed Benfica. Bayern Munich led the group by nine points, almost out of reach. Barca are likely to need to beat Ukraine's Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday and beat Benfica at home ahead of Bayern's final match on November 23 to avoid embarrassment in the group stage. You can watch every UEFA Champions League match at Paramount.