La Liga
Even with Sergi Barjuan as interim manager, Xavi close to becoming new Barcelona head coach
Barcelona have reached an agreement with Xavi to become their new head coach, reports in Spain say, with the club already announcing the appointment of Sergi Barjuan as interim boss.
The Catalan giants sacked Ronald Koeman on Wednesday night after the 1-0 defeat to Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday left Barça languishing in ninth place in La Liga.
58-year-old Koeman was given the dreaded vote of confidence by president Joan Laporta in September after a terrible start to the new season, and at that point, Barça’s board made it clear they wanted to Xavi to come in.
Laporta agreed with his fellow directors that was the best course of action, and has since been trying to convince Xavi – as 90min confirmed – to make a return to the club.
That plan has now accelerated with Koeman’s departure.
90min sources indicated early on Thursday that Xavi was ready to accept the role, and Sport say that personal terms on a deal are in fact agreed – and include appointing his brother Oscar and Sergio Alegre as assistants, and Ivan Torres as a fitness coach.
Barcelona now just need to reach an agreement with Al-Sadd over compensation, and it’s believed that Xavi does have a release clause written into his contract.
The axe finally fell on Koeman after another disastrous Barcelona display – that included a Memphis Depay missed penalty – saw the club slip further off the pace in La Liga. It’s understood that Barça officials made contact with Xavi to let him know Koeman’s sacking was coming, and that he needed to make a decision on his future – whether that be in Catalunya or not.
Al-Sadd have maintained throughout that they will not stand in Xavi’s way should Barcelona’s former midfield talisman wish to return, and that appears to be the decision he has made.
Barjuan’s appointment as interim head coach is likely to last a couple of games at least; 90min understands that Xavi’s first game in the dugout could be the local derby with Espanyol on 20 November.
Barcelona said their request for a permit to return to the Camp Nou for Sunday’s LaLiga match against Real Sociedad has been denied, with the city council highlighting safety and security issues with the revamped venue.
Barca had been hoping to return to a reduced-capacity Camp Nou with 27,000 spectators but have failed to obtain the necessary permits from Barcelona City Council.
Barca will instead host the match at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Montjuic, where they played during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons with renovations at Camp Nou now nine months behind schedule.
“We have spotted different elements that need to be fixed and have an impact in the safety and security of the stadium,” chief of civil protection Sebastia Massague said at a city council meeting.
Barca had to begin their LaLiga home campaign at the Estadi Johan Cruyff in their own training complex, where only 6,000 fans attended their match against Valencia on September 14, after a Post Malone concert left the Lluis Companys pitch in poor condition.
“The club is currently working on the new amendments that the council has shared today,” Barca said in a statement.
On Friday, the Catalan club also announced that their Champions League group stage match against Paris St Germain on October 1 would also take place at the Lluis Companys.
Barca are second in LaLiga, trailing leaders Real Madrid by five points but having played a game fewer.
-Reuters
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Villarreal midfielder Thomas Partey on Wednesday appeared in a London court and pleaded not guilty to charges of rape and sexual assault involving three women.
Partey, a Ghana international, is accused of five counts of rape relating to two women, plus a charge of sexual assault against a third woman, between April 2021 and June 2022.
The alleged offences took place when Partey played for Premier League soccer club Arsenal. He left the club this summer and signed for Spain’s Villarreal.
The 32-year-old appeared in the dock at Southwark Crown Court and spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth and enter his not guilty pleas.
Partey was released on bail ahead of his trial, which was listed for Nov. 2, 2026 and is due to take between six and eight weeks.
He was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59.2 million) in 2020 and became a key member of the English side’s first team, before his contract expired at the end of June.
Partey played for Villarreal in their Champions League game against Arsenal’s bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday night.
He came on as a second-half substitute and was booed loudly by the Spurs fans every time he touched the ball.
-Reuters
Villarreal and Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey, who has been charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, walks outside Southwark Crown Court, in London, Britain, September 17, 2025. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska
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Real Madrid on Tuesday denounced plans to stage a LaLiga match between Barcelona and Villarreal in Miami, warning the proposal could undermine football’s competitive balance and vowing to petition global governing bodies to block the move.
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) on Monday approved the December 20 fixture at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, which could become the first LaLiga match held abroad and the first European league fixture staged in the United States.
“Real Madrid wish to express to its members, supporters and football fans in general its firm rejection of the proposal,” the club said in a statement, revealing they have already urged FIFA, UEFA and Spain’s Higher Sports Council (CSD) to intervene.
The club accused the RFEF of making its decision “without informing or consulting the clubs participating in the competition” and argued that staging the match in Miami “violates the essential principle of territorial reciprocity” in home-and-away league formats.
Real further stated that the move would “alter the competitive balance” and grant “an unfair sporting advantage” to the clubs involved.
The club also warned that approving the proposal could compromise sporting integrity and “set an unacceptable precedent,” insisting any change of this nature should require “the express and unanimous agreement of all the clubs participating in the competition”.
The plan still requires approval from UEFA, US Soccer, CONCACAF and ultimately FIFA before LaLiga President Javier Tebas can realise his long-held ambition of taking Spanish football to the U.S.
-Reuters
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