Basketball in Barcelona dismisses Juan Peñaroya as coach of the team after the team’s free fall Basketball | Sports

FC Barcelona announced this afternoon the dismissal of Juan Peñaroya from coaching the basketball department, which he joined in the summer of 2024 and with whom he did not achieve any titles or reach any final. He will be replaced temporarily by assistant coach Oscar Orellana. Barcelona’s decision comes after the Barcelona team’s defeat against Girona on Sunday morning (96-78) in the ACB league match and after its loss on Friday in the Euroleague at home to Real Madrid (92-101). It was the ninth consecutive defeat in a classic match. The Barcelona fans responded, in the presence of President Joan Laporta in the Palau Blaugrana box: chants and chants demanding the resignation of Josep Cupels, the head of the department. The results were the straw that broke the camel’s back, but what was most worrying was the uncompetitive image presented by the team and its drift: this season, Barcelona has two wins and four defeats in the ACB league (11th place), which currently leaves it outside the positions that allow access to the Copa del Rey, and five wins and four defeats in the Euroleague (9th place).

“It’s a day to take responsibility, do our best, and be closer than everyone else,” Peñaroya said in a press conference after the match against Girona. “It’s a difficult day because we’re sure we didn’t compete. I ask the team to be together more than ever. There is still a lot of season left, but what happened on Friday and today does not help to get anything positive. We must not look for excuses.” The corridors of Fontajão witnessed a post-match meeting with Coppels, Juan Carlos Navarro, the general director of the department, and his right-hand man, Mario Bruno Fernández, the sporting director. And in the locker room with the players. He added to reporters, “I will continue working as before. I feel strong and happy with the technical staff. I feel that the players are in trouble, but I can help them.” “I don’t make decisions,” he said when asked about his future.

“You have to apologize and be very critical of yourself. Today is a shame. The coach is trying a lot of things, and the players are not responding. We are all responsible. We doubt everything, in many match situations, and this doubt does not make us have the energy we should have,” Nico Laprovittola explained in Fontajão after the defeat to Girona. Would you understand if the club decided to change course with the coach? A journalist asked him after the player confirmed that the team supports the coach. “Yes, I don’t know if it’s ideal, I don’t know, but I would understand, if that’s the answer. We are at the highest level of demand, at a club like Barcelona, ​​and anything can happen.”

Barcelona basketball has been in a desert for years, with two empty seasons in the showcases, something that has not happened since 1993. The team’s drift goes back a long way, with financial bleeding year after year – there is a difference of about 20 million between Barcelona’s budget and that of Real Madrid – and it was forced to cut itself due to… fair play Club finances. “Our budget, in net salaries, is mid-table and below in the Euroleague,” Peñaroya commented just a few days ago to Cadena SER. In the summer of 2023, it was decided not to renew Sarunas Jasikevicius on the bench due to his high contract. Franchise player Nikola Mirotic also left with him, who also did not meet the club’s financial needs. Roger Grimau was chosen to lead the bench. But in June 2024, the club fired him after an empty year.

The following season was without a trophy under Peñaroya, a run marked above all by the number of injuries that afflicted the team, as well as the controversy surrounding the non-signing of Thomas Hortel, as well as defeats: Barcelona fell in the quarter-finals of the cup, in the same round in the tournament. Playoffs From the Endesa League and did not qualify for the Euroleague Final Four. The economic situation is under oath, with no star names among his contractors, and without success. Between themselves, the team seems disconnected. Also with Palau fans.

Benyaruya left the club with a record of 51 wins and 41 losses. This week, Barcelona will face two Euroleague matches, and on Wednesday, they will play against Bayern without him on the bench.