!['Champion coach' Flick appointed to Barcelona hotseat](https://www.berlinertageblatt.de/media/shared/articles/dc/19/45/-Champion-coach--Flick-appointed-to-658768.jpg)
-
Trump offers tech sector policy flips ahead of election
-
Spacecraft to swing by Earth, Moon on path to Jupiter
-
What's the fallout of Mexican drug lords' capture?
-
Video game makers see actors as AI 'data,' says union on strike
-
Chinese qualifier Shang to face Thompson in ATP Atlanta semis
-
Concern grows as Venezuela blocks election observers
-
'Massive attack' on French rail threatens more chaos
-
'We did it!': France breathes sigh of relief after Olympics ceremony
-
Blinken, in Laos, set for talks with Chinese foreign minister
-
Regional concern grows as Venezuela blocks vote observers
-
Historic river parade, Dion show-stopper ignite Paris Olympics
-
Rainy Paris Olympic parade dampens many spectators' spirits
-
G20 pledges to work together to tax ultra-rich
-
The one of a kind Paris opening ceremony: five memorable moments
-
Justin Timberlake seeks to dismiss DUI case
-
Warner Brothers Discovery sues NBA over Amazon rights deal
-
Kobe Bryant locker, Maradona jersey up for auction in New York
-
Historic river parade launches Paris Olympics
-
Stocks rise as US inflation data boosts rate cut hopes
-
New York family of Holocaust victim reclaims Nazi-looted art
-
NASA Mars rover captures rock that could hold fossilized microbes
-
Thousands evacuate season's biggest wildfire in northern California
-
Sinaloa Cartel co-founder pleads not guilty after stunning US capture
-
Ethiopia mourns victims of landslide tragedy
-
Lady Gaga adds sparkle to star-studded Olympic show
-
Airbus and Boeing supremacy secure despite turbulence
-
Teams sail down Seine in rain-soaked Olympics opening ceremony
-
Norris hoping for more after topping Belgian practice times
-
West Indies' treble strike rocks England in third Test
-
Trump slams rivals as he meets Netanyahu in Florida
-
Olympic opening ceremony under way on River Seine
-
Mott's England future uncertain as ECB chief fails to offer support
-
Trump meets Israeli PM Netanyahu in Florida
-
S.African police say 95 Libyans detained at suspected military camp
-
Blinken set for talks with Chinese counterpart in Laos
-
Norris heads Piastri in McLaren one-two at Belgian GP practice
-
G20 seeks common ground on taxing super-rich
-
European medicines watchdog rejects new Alzheimer's drug
-
Harris gets vital Obama backing in battle against Trump
-
Habib, Ebden eye Alcaraz and Djokovic shocks at Olympics tennis
-
Stocks rise as inflation data boosts rate cut hopes
-
Long queues, ticketing problems ahead of Paris opening ceremony
-
Two Sinaloa Cartel leaders face US charges after stunning capture
-
Spain train driver jailed for 2.5 years over deadly 2013 crash
-
Paris poised for Olympic opening ceremony spectacular
-
Judoka fails doping test in first case at Paris Olympics
-
Holder and Da Silva keep England at bay after West Indies collapse
-
Alpine F1 boss Bruno Famin to leave in August
-
Ethiopia declares three days of mourning after landslide tragedy
-
Brazilian dunes dotted with dazzling pools make UNESCO heritage list
!['Champion coach' Flick appointed to Barcelona hotseat](https://www.berlinertageblatt.de/media/shared/articles/dc/19/45/-Champion-coach--Flick-appointed-to-658768.jpg)
'Champion coach' Flick appointed to Barcelona hotseat
Barcelona appointed former Bayern Munich and Germany boss Hansi Flick as coach on Wednesday on a deal which runs till June 2026, after sacking Xavi Hernandez last week.
"FC Barcelona and Hansi Flick have reached an agreement for the German to become men's first team football coach until 30 June 2026," the club said in a statement.
"The new coach has signed a contract at the Club's offices accompanied by FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta."
Flick, who led German giants Bayern to a historic sextuple of trophies in 2020, became the first coach ever to be sacked by the German national team in September 2023 after a string of bad results.
However, Barcelona believe they have secured the services of a "champion coach".
"By bringing Hansi Flick as coach, FC Barcelona have chosen a man well-known for his teams’ high pressing, intense and daring style of play which has brought him great success at club level and international level, winning pretty much all there is to win in the world of football," read the club statement.
The 59-year-old occasionally watched Barcelona matches this season from the presidential box and was linked with the job after Xavi said in January he would depart at the end of a campaign in which they finished runners-up to Real Madrid in La Liga.
Barcelona and Xavi decided jointly he would stay for next season after all in April but then Laporta changed his mind and sacked the former midfield great last week.
"It won't be easy at all -- they will suffer and they will need patience because it's a really difficult job," Xavi warned his successor last week after winning his final match in charge against Sevilla in La Liga.
"The only thing that can save them is winning, whether they have been part of the club or not."
As well as seeing Madrid win back the Spanish title, Barcelona were knocked out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals by Paris Saint-Germain.
Spanish media said Laporta was enraged by Xavi's comments earlier in May when he highlighted the economic difficulties Barca had when competing against Real and Europe's other elite clubs.
I.Meyer--BTB