La Semana

Ra4a Márquez, discarded by Barcelona to replace Xavi: what will the Mexican do?

The subsidiary's coach had expressed his intentions to subor the rst team this Saturday.

- By ÓSCAR JIMÉNEZ

Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, has been very forceful with the acts of racism that have recently been experience­d on the playing Ields. The last one, in Italy, when Maignan, Milan's goalkeeper, left the Ield this Saturday when he heard monkey screams. The top leader of world football has asked that the automatic loss of matches be applied to teams whose fans utter racist insults.

Barcelona's bad season has Inished sentencing Xavi Hernández. The Barcelona coach has said enough and yesterday he announced to the media that he will leave the bench of the culé team at the end of the season. Now it's up to the leaders of Barcelona to look for the best substitute to return Barcelona to Ight for titles. Long and complex process that awaits Joan Laporta, president of the Barcelona entity, although there are already several names that are being considered for the prestigiou­s

Spanish club.

After Xavi's announceme­nt, it was Rafa Márquez himself who announced that he was ready to take over the reins of such a successful club: "It's part of the process. It will arrive if you have to touch me. Who wouldn't want to be Barça's coach. I'll keep getting ready, it's just my second season as a coach. The board will have time to think about it from here to the end of the League. You can't say no to him for an opportunit­y like that," he replied.

After Xavi's announceme­nt, it was Rafa Márquez himself who announced that he was ready to take over the reins of such a successful club: "It's part of the process. It will arrive if you have to touch me. Who wouldn't want to be

Barça's coach. I'll keep getting ready, it's just my second season as a coach. The board will have time to think about it from here to the end of the League. You can't say no to him for an opportunit­y like that," he replied.

But the former Mexican internatio­nal himself knows that he has it complicate­d. Media such as Mundo Deportivo afIrm this as they explain after talking to sources from the Barcelona club, and that tell them that it is not a viable option at the moment and point out that it is unlikely that it will be in the new project. They understand that Rafa Márquez, who also ends his contract next June, is doing a good job at the head of Barça Atlètic and that he must focus on continuing on this positive line.

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