Barca looking to move on after shock Vilanova exit
Source: Agencies |
July 21, 2013, Sunday
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Print Edition
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BARCELONA was mourning the enforced exit of ailing coach Tito Vilanova yesterday but there was also a sense the Spanish champion was prepared to move swiftly to appoint a successor and focus on preparations for next season.
President Sandro Rosell made the announcement late on Friday that Vilanova, who has been battling throat cancer the past two years, needed more treatment that meant he would be unable to remain in charge of the first team.
A replacement for the 44-year-old, who was promoted from assistant coach to succeed Pep Guardiola at the end of the 2011-12 season, would likely be announced early next week, Rosell added.
Many of the first team squad were at Rosell's news conference, including World Player of the Year Lionel Messi, and the club cancelled a friendly it was due to play against Polish side Lechia Gdansk today and suspended training until Monday.
"Life goes on," Rosell said. "Obviously this is a very hard blow to take but Barcelona has suffered many blows in our history and we have always come through. This will be no different."
Former Girona coach
Barcelona-based newspaper La Vanguardia reported that Joan Francesc Ferrer, known as "Rubi", could be in line to take over, while daily Sport said the former Girona coach might be a temporary replacement.
Ferrer led Girona to the second division playoffs last season and was appointed Vilanova's assistant for the coming campaign to help with technical analysis of Barcelona's rivals.
Other names mentioned, all former Barcelona players, were Swansea's Danish manager Michael Laudrup, Celta Vigo's Spanish coach Luis Enrique and Dutchman Frank de Boer of Ajax Amsterdam.
Jupp Heynckes, who led Bayern Munich to an unprecedented treble of Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League titles last season before being replaced by Guardiola, and Argentine Marcelo Bielsa, who was in charge at Athletic Bilbao until the end of last term, were also named as possible candidates.
German Heynckes, who turned 68 in May, had a stint at Bilbao before leading Barcelona's arch rival Real Madrid to the Champions League title in 1998.
President Sandro Rosell made the announcement late on Friday that Vilanova, who has been battling throat cancer the past two years, needed more treatment that meant he would be unable to remain in charge of the first team.
A replacement for the 44-year-old, who was promoted from assistant coach to succeed Pep Guardiola at the end of the 2011-12 season, would likely be announced early next week, Rosell added.
Many of the first team squad were at Rosell's news conference, including World Player of the Year Lionel Messi, and the club cancelled a friendly it was due to play against Polish side Lechia Gdansk today and suspended training until Monday.
"Life goes on," Rosell said. "Obviously this is a very hard blow to take but Barcelona has suffered many blows in our history and we have always come through. This will be no different."
Former Girona coach
Barcelona-based newspaper La Vanguardia reported that Joan Francesc Ferrer, known as "Rubi", could be in line to take over, while daily Sport said the former Girona coach might be a temporary replacement.
Ferrer led Girona to the second division playoffs last season and was appointed Vilanova's assistant for the coming campaign to help with technical analysis of Barcelona's rivals.
Other names mentioned, all former Barcelona players, were Swansea's Danish manager Michael Laudrup, Celta Vigo's Spanish coach Luis Enrique and Dutchman Frank de Boer of Ajax Amsterdam.
Jupp Heynckes, who led Bayern Munich to an unprecedented treble of Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League titles last season before being replaced by Guardiola, and Argentine Marcelo Bielsa, who was in charge at Athletic Bilbao until the end of last term, were also named as possible candidates.
German Heynckes, who turned 68 in May, had a stint at Bilbao before leading Barcelona's arch rival Real Madrid to the Champions League title in 1998.
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