Football
Dermot Corrigan, Madrid correspondent 9y

Xavi Hernandez dismisses claims over Barcelona-Deportivo La Coruna draw

Xavi Hernandez has rubbished allegations that Barcelona eased off to allow Deportivo La Coruna to get the point they needed to escape relegation in the final game of the season.

Barca had already been confirmed as champions ahead of their match with Depor at the Camp Nou, and with an hour gone were 2-0 up.

At that point, Deportivo looked sure to be relegated -- but goals from Lucas Perez and Diogo Salomao salvaged a crucial 2-2 draw for the Galicians.

Captain Alberto Lopo subsequently said that, with the score at 2-1 and time running out, he asked Xavi to "ease up a bit," but had received no indication that Barca's players would give less than 100 percent.

Speaking at his presentation as an Al-Sadd player on Thursday, the former Barcelona skipper stressed there was no way that Barca had not wanted to triumph.

"It is nonsense," the 35-year-old said. "We always want to win, and we wanted to play a good game because it was the last La Liga game at Camp Nou.

"There was a draw that, playing 100 games, would only happen once. It is ridiculous. There was nothing, just two great goals."

But reports suggest the Liga authorities plan to investigate what happened.

La Liga president Javier told AS he was taking the Depor defender's words very seriously.

"What Lopo said is no laughing matter," he added. "This matter has been trivialised, but it is serious. Barcelona just kept the ball for the last minutes. Did Lopo's strategy work then or not?"

Xavi, meanwhile, said he was "excited" to be playing for Al-Sadd and to be becoming an ambassador for the 2022 World Cup.

He said reports that he could return to European football on loan at Qatar-backed Paris Saint Germain were wide of the mark, adding: "That is impossible, because one of the conditions I negotiated with Barca for my exit was that I could not play for any other European club.

"I did not want either to play in Europe any more.I believe my time there is over."

^ Back to Top ^