Xavi has performed a u-turn and will remain as Barcelona coach until his contract expires next summer.
The former Barca midfielder announced in January he was going to step down at the end of the current campaign citing the intense scrutiny and media criticism that comes with the job.
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However, following a meeting with president Joan Laporta and other members of the Barca board yesterday, he has agreed to see out the remainder of his contract.
The club’s vice-president Rafa Yuste said: “We had a meeting with the coach and the president in which Xavi showed us his commitment.
“He is a Barca guy, he is the coach who can lead our project and our young players from the club. I am convinced that he will do a great job, I am very happy for him because he is a great ‘culé’.
“I am happy because I always defended the continuity of the project he started two and a half years ago.
“We have not talked [in the meeting] about changes in our team at all. Xavi has shown his enthusiasm and we must support him and his staff to continue with this project.”
🚨 Today, at 1pm CEST, there will be a joint press conference with Barça President @JoanLaportaFCB and manager Xavi Hernández.
Follow live on the Club’s social media channels and @BarcaOneFCB.
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 25, 2024
Xavi, who earned legendary status at Camp Nou for his exploits as a player, took over as coach in November 2021 following a spell in Qatar with Al Sadd.
He immediately brought about an improvement with the team finishing second in La Liga in his first season in charge.
He led them to the title a year later, having also signed a contract extension to June 2025.
But a chastening 5-3 home defeat in January 2024 prompted him to say he would leave, only for results to improve as his young team started to gel.
