BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Coach Xavi Hernández will stay with Barcelona for another year after all, agreeing to finish his contract to 2025 in a reversal of his decision to quit at the end of the season, two people with knowledge of the agreement said Wednesday. The two people spoke anonymously to The Associated Press because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the deal. Barcelona was expected to make the decision official on Thursday, when club president Joan Laporta would explain the details about the turnaround. Spanish media said Xavi met with Laporta and sports director Deco for several hours on Wednesday before agreeing that the coach would stick around instead of leaving as initially planned. The decision to stay with Xavi came three days after a 3-2 loss to Real Madrid that all but ended the team’s chances of winning a title. |
China's goal of engaging 300 million people in winter sports achieved: surveyCompany Law draft revision to bolster confidencePosters for Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics releasedSaudi Arabia stuns Argentina in World Cup Group CParis 2024 Olympics to feature 10,000 torchbearersU.S. travelers benefiting from China's visa rulesZhang primed for shot at historyDevelopment to remain the focus in 75th year of nation's foundingChina's goal of engaging 300 million people in winter sports achieved: surveyArgentina wins friendly match as fans give warmest of welcomes in Beijing