体坛英语新闻：Barca sack Director of Football Zubizarreta

MADRID, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- FC Barcelona confirmed on Monday that that club has decided to sack Andoni Zubizarreta as Director of Football.

A communique on the club's website ended four and a half years in which the former goalkeeper has been in charge of making signings in a period during which the team has gone into a relative decline.

The pressure was raised on Zubizarreta last summer with the announcement that FIFA had banned the club from making signings until January as the result of irregularities in the Barca youth system.

Although Barcelona spent heavily on players such as Luis Suarez, who was unable to play until October due to suspension, Ivan Rakitic, Jeremy Mathieu, Claudio Bravo and Ter Stegen, it was the arrival of Brazilian full back, Douglas, which caused alarm bells to ring as he has looked out of his depth in the handful of appearances he has so far made.

Mathieu has failed to win a regular first team place and although Rakitic started well, he too does not command a regular starting place in the side, while Stegen has played in the Champions League and Cup, with Bravo first choice in the league.

As well as this summer's transfer disappointments, Zubizarreta had been criticized for not acting sooner in the face of an aging squad, missing out on players such as Tony Kroos, who joined Real Madrid, and has come in for increased criticism in recent weeks.

His sacking comes less than 24 hours after Barca crashed to a 1- 0 defeat away to Real Sociedad, a display which also saw coach, Luis Enrique come in for criticism.

"The Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has decided to terminate as of today the contract of the club's director of football, Andoni Zubizarreta.

"The president, in the name of the club, thanks Andoni Zubizarreta for his contribution, dedication and professionalism over the last four years in his role at the head of the club's football area," reads the club statement.