Tuesday 1 April 2008

Rijkaard not preparing to jump

Asked if he had considered resigning after the defeat against Betis Sevilla on Saturday, Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard (45) told at a press conference in Germany: “After a defeat, it’s better not to speak about such things. And right now we’re preparing for a game, so I don’t really feel much like talking about it. It’s best not to enter into such a dynamic.” Rijkaard says the dismissal talking is not affecting him.

Meanwhile, Catalan television channel TV3 yesterday showed images of a conversation between Rijkaard and Barcelona goalkeeping coach Juan Carlos Unzué at Barcelona’s El Prat airport. When asked by Unzué if he carried a parachute in his bag, Rijkaard answered: “I have two days.” This immediately lead to wild speculation about an upcoming dismissal. At the press conference, Rijkaard played down the rumours with a smile, saying they were not joking on his Barcelona future: “I said that I had clothes with me for two days.”

Catalan sports paper Sport claims today that some Barcelona board members think a drastic and immediate change is needed and are therefore increasing the pressure on president Joan Laporta to take action and not to wait until the end of the season to dismiss Rijkaard. Laporta and sports vice president Marc Ingla are nevertheless still defending the manager and think decisions should be taken in the summer and not in the heat of the moment. Arriving in Germany, Barcelona president Joan Laporta did not want to reply questions about the Rijkaard issue and a possible deadline the board would have set for the Dutchman.


(read more on the latest developments surrounding the position of manager Frank Rijkaard here and here)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

He knows he can't afford a slip tonight...

Anonymous said...

He will be our coach next season. Laporta is a complete dumbass these days. He hasn't the guts to take actions anymore.

Anonymous said...

LaPorta is the wise one, one the Barca fans are narrow minded, all they could think of is to "sack Rijkaard". Give Rijkaard a bit of credit for what he has achieved with Barca, 2 LaLigas, 1 CL, the problem is with the players. NOw that Marquez and Milito are back the defence will be a bit more decent, but still Barca need to sign one or two class defenders in the summer. The problem is not Rijkaart, far from it, it will be a huge mistake to sack him.

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