Al Sadd head coach Xavi Hernandez – a Spanish and Barcelona legend – has rebuffed news of his departure as ‘rumours’ from Qatar’s top football club. Xavi’s insistence that he will extend his stay at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium is a welcome news for die-hard fans of the club, which has won the prestigious Amir Cup a record 17 times.
After Al Sadd made early exit at the AFC Champions League recently, failing to qualify for the knockout stage of the premier Asian football tournament, reports started doing the rounds that the 41-year-old will not have his contract renewed with the Doha giants. The reports also linked the Spaniard’s return to Barcelona, where he has won many titles for the Catalans.
The Al Sadd head coach, however, rejected the news saying he will be signing a new contract with Al Sadd. “This is not true and I am very close to signing a new contract with Al Sadd and the talk of my exit from the team is just a rumour. I am very happy to work with the players and the club,” the Barca legend said when asked about the reports. Xavi made 767 first-team appearances for Barcelona between 1998 and 2015, besides winning 133 caps for the Spanish national team.
At Al Sadd, Xavi has won many titles as a player and as head coach. Al Sadd have shown outstanding performance in the ongoing domestic season, winning the QNB Stars League (QSL), amassing 60 points, 13 points clear of the runners-up Al Duhail. Al Sadd also known as ‘The Wolves’ also retained the Qatar Cup in February, with both the titles coming under the guidance of Xavi. Al Sadd’s recent title-winning streak also includes the 2020 Amir Cup crown, which they won after beating Al Arabi in the final on December 18 at Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium – a FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 venue.
Al Sadd boast many top players like striker Akram Afif, Santi Cazorla, Hassan Al Haydos (Qatar captain), Rodrigo Tabata, Baghdad Bounedjah and Abdelkarim Hassan, and Xavi’s extension as head coach will certainly help the side to continue their top performance at domestic and international stage.
Many of Al Sadd’s players also represent the national team and they can gain a lot from Xavi’s vast experience of international football besides getting guidance from national coach Felix Sanchez as Qatar look to excel at the FIFA World Cup on home soil next year. It is expected that Xavi will soon sign a new contract to extend his stay at Al Sadd, which will be a great development for stakeholders of the club ahead of the new season.