Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez sues a journalist over false claims

Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez’s statements in the press after the win against Napoli earlier this month caused quite the wave.

Responding to an article from a journalist, Ramon Besa, who had termed the Blaugrana as the ‘buffoons of the Champions League’, the 44-year-old tactician had hit out, saying:

“I told the players to stay calm, nobody was going to die today. The press were saying we were the buffoons in the Champions League, unfair criticism from journalists. Was that necessary? Are we still the buffoons?”

On the same night, another journalist, Manuel Jabois, speaking on El Larguero stated that he had also received messages from Xavi reproaching him for an article he had written.

“It was Xavi, but I’m not going to tell you because it was in private. It was through messages and it was a pretty dirty thing and he didn’t say it in public and that’s it,” Jabois had said.

Xavi sues Jabois

Now, though, SPORT reports that Xavi has taken legal action against Jabois and has sued over false claims made by him on El Larguero.

Xavi has filed a lawsuit against a journalist. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP via Getty Images)

It must be noted that the following day after making those comments, Manuel Jabois published an article in ‘El País’ in which he somewhat clarified his words, but Xavi considers he had been untruthful and has taken legal measures.

Club sources assure that they have already contacted the journalist and that, in a private conversation, he acknowledged that Xavi had neither called nor written to him.

Apparently, according to Barça, “Xavi does not know who Manuel Jabois is nor does he have his contact.”

As such, the Barcelona head coach is prepared to go all the way to make Manuel Jabois retract the false statements he made during his interview.

If there is no rectification, the lawsuit will continue, according to the Blaugrana entity.