Barcelona: Cancer-stricken Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova quit yesterday to undergo further treatment for his illness, the president of the Spanish champions, Sandro Rosell, said.
The 44-year-old Vilanova had a tumour removed from a salivary gland in his throat in November 2011 and in December 2012 he suffered a relapse.
He underwent surgery again followed by 10 weeks of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in New York.
Vilanova returned to the helm of Barcelona in March and led the club to the Spanish league title.
“After evaluating the results of routine rests this week Tito Vilanova has been presented with the option of carrying out a treatment to continue to control his illness which will make it incompatible to carry out the role of first team coach from now on,” Rosell told a news conference.
“I want to ask everyone, especially the media, in the name of his family to show the maximum respect for the privacy of the whole process which will start now,” he added.
Vilanova’s replacement will be announced “probably in the beginning of next week,” Rosell said.
Club officials met with the squad and the team decided they would not travel to Poland to face Lechia Gdansk in a pre-season friendly today, he added.
“I want to say that life goes on, this is a huge blow, a very hard blow, for Barcelona but Barcelona has suffered many blows and we have always overcome those blows and today will not be an exception,” added Rosell, who was flanked by the club’s sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta.
Several Barcelona players, including Argintine forward Lionel Messi and veteran defender Carles Puyol, attended the press conference in their kits.
Vilanova, who was under contract with Barcelona until June 2014, took over from Pep Guardiola as manager in June 2012, having previously worked as his assistant. AFP
