Football

Barcelona boss Xavi urges fans not to boo Ousmane Dembele

By Aman Shukla

Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez on Monday urged fans to not jeer winger Ousmane Dembele after the France international was greeted with a chorus of boos on his return of the team in Sunday’s win over defending champions Atletico Madrid in La Liga.

Dembele has not played for Barcelona since Jan. 12 after failing to renew his contract, which is set to expire at the end of the season. Barcelona asked him to leave before the January transfer window shut, however, the 24-year-old couldn’t find another club and will remain at the Barcelona until the end of the campaign.

“The fans were 10 of 10 and the support was brilliant throughout the game,” Xavi told a news conference.

“But I would like them to support Ousmane, too. I’d ask them to stop booing him.

“The idea was for him to come on, but I decided on other things because of the red card and the way the game went,” Xavi said, referring to Dani Alves’ sending-off in the 69th minute.

 

Aman Shukla

Aman Shukla is a post-graduate in mass communication. A media enthusiast who has a stronghold on communication, content writing, and copy writing. Aman is currently working as a subeditor at dailyindianews.com and can be reached at [email protected]