Ronald Koeman, former Barcelona coach, lamented that he did not have “the maximum support of a president” when he was on the bench of the Barça club, referring to Joan Laporta, who dismissed him from his post last October.
“I ask that you support Xavi (Hernández). The coach is not the only culprit. I hope they have learned (from what happened to him) and support Xavi”, added the man who will be the coach of the Netherlands after the World Cup in Qatar 2022, at the press conference to present the Koeman Cup by Fundación Sportium, a charity golf tournament held at the Barcelona Golf Club in Sant Esteve Sesrovires.
Furthermore, Koeman complained of some information that Laporta leaked to journalists while he was coach of Barça. “Personally, I don’t like that the president says in the ‘off the record’ that the coach doesn’t follow”, he admitted.
On the other hand, the Dutch coach wanted to claim his job on the Barça bench . “When I left, Real Madrid was 8 points away, and now it’s double that,” Koeman said. And in this sense he added: “Changing a coach is not always something that improves the situation”. He has no doubts: “I don’t think Barça wants to sell Frenkie (de Jong), I think Xavi has said that he is future. Frenkie is a great player. He has gone through some games in which he has not been at his level, but there is no need to doubt Frenkie.”
The money raised in the Koeman Cup by Fundación Sportium will go entirely to the Cruyff Foundation.
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