Barcelona appoint Flick as new coach

Barcelona appointed former Bayern Munich and Germany boss Hansi Flick as their new coach on Wednesday, signing him to a contract until June 2026 following the sacking of Xavi Hernandez last week.

“FC Barcelona and Hansi Flick have reached an agreement for the German to become men’s first team football coach until 30 June 2026,” the club announced. Flick signed his contract at the club’s offices, accompanied by FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta.

Flick, 59, led Bayern Munich to a historic sextuple of trophies in 2020 but was dismissed as Germany’s national team coach in September 2023 after a series of poor results. Despite this, Barcelona believes Flick’s track record as a “champion coach” makes him the right fit for the club.

“By bringing Hansi Flick as coach, FC Barcelona have chosen a man well-known for his teams’ high pressing, intense and daring style of play which has brought him great success at club and international levels,” read the club’s statement.

Flick had been linked with the Barcelona job after Xavi announced in January his intention to leave at the end of the season. Although Xavi and the club initially decided he would stay for the next season, president Laporta reversed this decision and sacked him last week.

Xavi, who won his final match in charge against Sevilla, warned Flick of the challenges ahead. “It won’t be easy at all — they will suffer and they will need patience because it’s a really difficult job,” Xavi said.

Under Xavi, Barcelona finished as runners-up to Real Madrid in La Liga and were knocked out of the Champions League quarter-finals by Paris Saint-Germain. Reports suggest Laporta was frustrated by Xavi’s comments about the club’s economic challenges in competing with top European clubs.

(Source: AFP)