Barcelona confirm that Ronald Koeman has been relieved of his managerial duties

10/28/2021

Barcelona have sacked Ronald Koeman as head coach of the Spanish club following a 1-0 defeat at Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday night. The Catalan club’s shock defeat along with disappointing performances in domestic and European competitions led the Barcelona administration to pull the trigger.

In August 2020, Ronald Koeman succeeded Quique Setien as the new manager of Barcelona and joined the club after stepping down from his post as the head coach of the Netherlands national team. The Dutch manager got off to a torrid start as the Blaugrana equalled their worst tally after the first six games in La Liga with just eight points. Things never changed as the La Liga side was knocked out of the Champions League in the round of 16 by Paris Saint-Germain and eventually finished third in the league.

The new campaign didn't get off to a great start for Koeman's side either with the club ninth in the standings with just 15 points and six points behind several clubs including Real Madrid. The 58-year-old has struggled in Europe again, with the club losing their opening two games to Bayern Munich and Benfica which was further compounded by a defeat to Rayo Vallecano. It was the last straw and a statement from Barcelona confirmed the decision, with it made by Joan Laporta, and the club has "relieved Koeman of his duties".

“FC Barcelona has relieved Ronald Koeman of his duties as first-team coach. 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.”