Xavi Hernandez said he won’t tolerate ‘lies’ from the media any longer and also spoke on the likelihood of him continuing in his FC Barcelona head coach role ahead of a La Liga meeting with Las Palmas on Saturday.
This week, various outlets including SPORT reported how the legendary midfielder is attempting to sue two journalists that cover his club for what he perceives to be them spreading false information.
Manuel Jabois claimed on Cadena SER that Xavi “sent a series of messages” to him in what was “a pretty dirty thing”.
At AS, Javi Miguel, who is often touted as being close to Xavi’s locker room accused Xavi of committing a crime by forcing members of his staff to put their mobile phones on the table in order to discover who has been leaking news to the media.
Asked about the furore at his pre-match press conference on Friday, Xavi stated: “This is something that has never happened to me before. I understand where I am, but only up to a point. I’m not going to tolerate lying or making things up. It’s time to say ‘enough’. That’s enough. These are very big lies.”
With Barca’s form improving in recent weeks since Xavi announced his June 30 departure in late January, there have been rumors that he could stay on in his role beyond said date.
President Joan Laporta confirmed that he has asked his tactician to stay on in remarks made last weekend, but for Xavi his original decision still stands.
“I am very grateful for the words of support for me and the staff. There is a trust and friendship with the president, with [Sporting Director] Deco, but this does not change anything.
“I think about what’s best for the club and I insist that the decision is there and it doesn’t change anything,” Xavi said.
With the pair injured at Athletic Club on March 3, Xavi also won’t accept suggestions that his team is faring better without Frenkie de Jong and Pedri.
“When things go wrong, we miss those who aren’t there. When they’re going well, those who haven’t participated are bad… We’ve missed Frenkie and Pedri despite having played great games. They’re big players,” Xavi stressed.
