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After being in charge of FC Barcelona for 14 months, Ronald Koeman has been sacked and relieved of his duties as the first-team coach after the Catalan side suffered a 1-0 defeat against Rayo Vallecano. After enduring the worst ever start in the Champions League, Barcelona have slipped down to the 9th position in the La Liga table with only 15 points registered to their name from 10 games.
Ronald Koeman’s departure ends an unhappy chapter for the former Dutch player who himself played at the Spanish side and won them their first European Cup in 1992. To those who are not aware, Ronald Koeman’s tenure as the manager came in gander when the club lost to Benfica in the Champions League, making it their worst ever start on the European stage. Later, defeats against both the Madrid sides added salt to the burns of Barcelona.
FC Barcelona sacks Ronald Koeman
The defeat at Camp Nou against Real Madrid was Ronald Koeman’s third straight defeat in the El Classico. Having said that, FC Barcelona President Joan Laporta was reportedly given the duty to let Koeman off his duties.
“FC Barcelona has relieved Ronald Koeman of his duties as first-team coach,” an official club statement read after the 1-0 loss to Rayo Vallecano.
“The president of the club, Joan Laporta, informed him of the decision after the defeat against Rayo Vallecano. Ronald Koeman will say goodbye to the squad on Thursday at the Ciutat Esportiva. FC Barcelona wishes to thank him for his service to the club and wishes him all the best in his professional career”, the statement continued as quoted by the Guardian.
Koeman left his job as the Netherlands manager in August 2020 to take the leadership charge at Barcelona, being the successor of Quique Setien. However, this has only gone onto state that things haven’t been the same at FC Barcelona since their iconic superstar Lionel Messi left for Paris Saint-Germain.
Lastly, Barcelona have not yet announced a new candidate to take up the role as further updates are keenly awaited.