Controversy Erupts Over Xavi Image at Barcelona Conference

World 05 March 2025 at 10:29

Khaled Hegazy

News Editor

The "Sports Tomorrow" conference, held at FC Barcelona’s headquarters, sparked discussions after presentation by Christian Thiel, CEO of Turfcoach, the company responsible for the new pitch at Spotify Camp Nou.

Presentation Context

The event themed "Keep the Roots, Build the Future" focused on the club’s 125 year history and its future in sports innovation. Thiel’s presentation addressed pitch quality, topic frequently highlighted by former Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez.

Turfcoach's clarified that FC Barcelona was fully aware of the presentation’s content including the now discussed slide featuring Xavi. The club approved the presentation in advance and the discussion on pitch conditions was welcomed.

Clarification on Xavi’s Image

Turfcoach emphasized that the image of Xavi wasn't created by them but was sourced from tribuna.com, where it had previously appeared in discussions about pitch quality. The intent was never to mock Xavi but rather to validate his concerns which had often been downplayed in the media.

Thiel also reiterated during the presentation that Xavi was right in his assessment of pitch conditions. Turfcoach's consistently supported his stance even publicly backing his views last year in LinkedIn post.