The architect of Barça women, sporting director Markel Zubizarreta, leaves office. This was announced this Tuesday morning by the club in a message where it is stipulated that the separation is by mutual agreement.
Zubizarreta, who had a contract until June 30, 2024, had been working with the Barcelona women's team since 2015 and had been considering the option of leaving for months. In fact, since the beginning of 2023, the sports director had conveyed to the entity his idea of leaving, but in the end he agreed to continue until the end of the campaign so as not to destabilize the team with the ongoing competitions.
The main reason for his goodbye is wear and tear, in the midst of cuts in all areas of the club. Within this policy of economic scissors, it was becoming increasingly difficult for Zubizarreta to continue implementing his sports policy.
From this moment on, Barça opens a period of reflection to redefine the structure of its women's team. At this time, there is no clear candidate to replace Zubizarreta.
Zubizarreta entered the women's team in 2015 as head of sports management and, in the summer of 2017, he became the team's general manager. With him at the head of the structure, the Barcelona team has become a world reference, with a total of 16 titles, with 4 Leagues, 2 Champions Leagues (2021 and 2023), 4 Queen's Cups, 3 Super Cups and 3 Cups Catalonia.
In its statement, Barça thanks their work and indicates that "the club will soon report on how the team's sporting structure looks."
