By AFPMore by this AuthorMADRIDSpanish champions Barcelona have sacked their coach Ernesto Valverde and appointed Quique Setien as his replacement, the club announced on Monday. Valverde is the first coach the club has sacked mid-season since Louis van Gaal in 2003. "FC Barcelona and Ernesto Valverde have reached an agreement to terminate the contract that united both parties," read a club statement released on Monday night. Barcelona play Napoli in the last 16 of the Champions League next month and Real Madrid in the league at the start of March. Doubts had surrounded Valverde for several months and were underpinned by two disastrous exits from the Champions League.

Source: Daily Nation January 14, 2020 05:15 UTC