The Deco statements that have Barcelona fans calling for his sacking and the fallout

Barcelona Sporting Director Deco was present as the Blaugrana threw away more points at home to Granada on Sunday night, ending in a thrilling 3-3 draw which once again exposed their inability to defend. However by the end of the night, he was the story.

That is due to comments he has made in Portugal to Nascer do Sol, opining on the current affairs of the Blaugrana. During an interview, he claimed that Barcelona needed to move away from the idea of play that has made them so successful until now.

“The new direction is essential and the president agrees with me on this. A profound change is needed. There is a method that is exhausted,” he said, as carried by Sport.

“We have to discover someone who will break with the past once and for all and move towards a new paradigm.”

He also went on to pronounce that the job he is currently hiring for is not that attractive for potential managers.

“We have a serious financial problem on our hands and that was one of the reasons why they hired me. We do not have money for the investments that other million-dollar clubs make and that discourages any coach. At this moment we cannot provide these means.”

His comments, essentially claiming Barcelona should leave behind the ideas upon which their three greatest eras were built upon, have naturally brought with them no shortage of fury from Cules.

El modelo sirve si se implementa BIEN, arsenal con arteta, bayer leverkusen con xabi, pep con el city!! Deco debe de coger sus cosas e irse a tomar por culo, jamás debimos dejar ir a alemany, ya sabía que deco me daba mala espina, por algo lo corrió pero

— Eldis Serrano (@eldisserrano04) February 12, 2024

Deco has since told Catalunya Radio that his words were misunderstood, and when he refers to the model and the paradigm, he claims was related to the financial crisis at the club and how they recruit. In addition, Nascer do Sol have published an editor’s note, claiming full responsibility for the ‘misunderstanding’.

Recent reports from El Desmarque claim that Deco will now put out a message via the club’s official channels to clarify his statements too.

It’s certainly a strange story, given Portuguese is Deco’s native tongue, and the interview was conducted in Portuguese. His words have been public for several days, but having only recently been picked up by the Catalan media, it appears only now the retractions have been made. It would be common practice for Deco or Barcelona to be sent the interview before or as it is being published, and it is curious that this either did not happen, or the misunderstanding was not flagged previously.