Barcelona have sacked first-team coach Ronald Koeman after Wednesday’s defeat to Rayo Vallecano.
Koeman, 58, was under pressure after his side lost to Real Madrid at the weekend and this latest loss, the fourth in Barca's past six matches, proved the final straw for the board.
Barca are six points off La Liga leaders Real Madrid in ninth place.
Former midfielder Xavi Hernandez, currently in charge of Qatari club Al Sadd, and River Plate coach Marcel Gallardo are reportedly among those under consideration to take over.
“FC Barcelona has relieved Ronald Koeman of his duties as first-team coach,” the club said after a fifth loss in all competitions this term.
“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.”
Koeman had a huge amount of success as a player at Camp Nou, winning four La Liga titles and the European Cup during a trophy-laden spell at the start of the 1990s.
The lure of returning to his old club proved too strong back in August 2020 as the Dutchman left his post as Holland boss to complete a shock return.
An up-and-down first campaign saw Barca win the Copa del Rey but ended in disappointing fashion as they finished third in La Liga, having also lost heavily to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last-16 stage.
With the club’s financial situation causing problems, Koeman could only watch on as Lionel Messi departed after he was unable to sign a new deal due to the continuing problems off the pitch.
A poor start to their Champions League campaign where they suffered defeats to Bayern Munich and Benfica increased the scrutiny on the former Everton boss, who then saw their La Liga form drop off.
Three defeats in four league games with the last a 1-0 loss at Rayo Vallecano saw Koeman’s time end with only one year left on his terms.
Memphis Depay missed a penalty in Wednesday’s reverse on the road which went the way of the home side thanks to a Radamel Falcao goal.
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The biog
Family: wife, four children, 11 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren
Reads: Newspapers, historical, religious books and biographies
Education: High school in Thatta, a city now in Pakistan
Regrets: Not completing college in Karachi when universities were shut down following protests by freedom fighters for the British to quit India
Happiness: Work on creative ideas, you will also need ideals to make people happy
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Good Liar
Starring: Helen Mirren, Ian McKellen
Directed by: Bill Condon
Three out of five stars
Leading all-time NBA scorers
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 38,387
Karl Malone 36,928
Kobe Bryant 33,643
Michael Jordan 32,292
LeBron James 31,425
Wilt Chamberlain 31,419
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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