Joan Laporta has responded to an explosive interview by Xavi in which the former Barcelona manager has been critical of the ex-president and also claimed he prevented Lionel Messi from returning to the club.
“It hurt,” he said in a live debate on Sport. “When I see these statements, I think of Flick. It’s tough being president because you have to make difficult decisions. With Xavi, I saw that we would continue losing, so it’s reassuring to see how things have turned out.”
He went on to add: “The same
players who were losing with Xavi are now winning with Flick.”
“He became complacent and couldn’t balance his professional and family life. And he said that in two years (Barça) wouldn’t be competitive against Real Madrid and in Europe. I called him to ask him about it, and he told me he’d been misunderstood, but he was constantly dissatisfied with the squad and the referees, obviously, but he said the squad wasn’t competitive.”
Xavi has already pledged his support to Laporta’s opponent Victor Font and the presidential candidate feels the former midfield star is being used.
“What hurts me is that he allowed himself to be used,” he added. “To hurt me, he’s used someone from my inner circle (Alejandro Echevarría). They defended him (Xavi) even when it was indefensible for him to continue, as did Yuste. He’s eager to smear me. Behind Xavi, I understand Víctor Font is trying to manipulate this electoral process.”
