Spain Sports News
Pep Guardiola confirmed as the new manager at Barcelona for next season
By h.b. - May 8, 2008 - 7:34 PM
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The Barcelona Chairman, Joan Laporta, has confirmed that Josep ‘Pep’ Guardiola will replace Frank Rijkaard at the end of the season as the Manager of the team.
It comes after a second season without any silverware for the Catalan Club, and just a day after the 4-1 humiliation defeat at the hands of Real Madrid in the league.
The news comes as no real surprise with considerable press speculation in Spain over recent days.
The decision was taken today after a four hour long meeting of the board which has praised the ‘excellent work and behaviour’ of the outgoing Dutchman, who Laporta described as a technician who had made history at Barça. He has spent a total of five seasons at the club.
Laporta said the choice of Guardiola as his replacement guaranteed ‘the continuity of the foot-balling ideal which has taken us to success’.
Pep Guardiola is now 37 and only has the experience of training the Barça B team which is in the third division. He is well loved in the city as a member of the famous ‘dream team Barcelona’ put together by Cruyff in the 1990’s.