Barca chief Joan Laporta breaks his silence after Xavi Hernandez's bombshell

Hours after Xavi Hernandez spoke to his players to explain the reasons for his departure, president Joan Laporta made a statement in an institutional appearance that the club posted on its social networks. The president asked for the support of the fans from the match against Osasuna, thanked them for their commitment despite the move to Montjuïc and acknowledged that his expectations had not been met.
These are the words of the Catalan chief in full:
"Xavi told me that, at the end of the season, he would leave, that he wanted to finish the season and it is a decision that I accepted because it was Xavi who proposed it to me and he is a Barca legend, he is an honest person, he acts with total dignity and he is a person who values Barcelona. I am convinced that he could accept because his commitment and that of all his staff was maximum until the end of the season.
La Liga title is difficult, but it is not lost and we have to fight for it. And, yes, we have to give everything we have to try to win the Champions League. We have the tie with Napoli. With more character and without losing our focus, with the coach giving everything and the commitment of the players, we hope to achieve some of the objectives we have set ourselves. We want to overcome this situation, which is not pleasant for any of us, but now, at the moment, what we need is unity, maximum unity so that they, as a team, can overcome this situation.
The club, at the moment, is under control institutionally, economically and socially. On the sporting side, it is true that this season things are not going as we had planned: we had come from a season in which we won La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup and it was a great one, so we had very good expectations, but now they are not being fulfilled. This situation must change.
My message to the 'Cules': think that this season is a complicated one, you already knew it when you came back to Montjuic. In the end, we will return to the Spotify Camp Nou; in principle, everything is going as planned and, first of all, I would like to thank you for your commitment to the team, to the club, because the fans are responding. The other day, there was the best attendance of the whole season at Monjuic or the second best, but it's not the attendance, it's the fans cheering at all times, in moments of maximum difficulty.
I want to thank you for that and I invite you to come back and support us again against Osasuna. In the club, you will add up. The fans show, in every game, that they love Barcelona and I ask you to continue to support the team because, with your support, the team can turn the situation around. I'm sure you understand this situation and see where the difficulty lies, but the players need your support and your support. I believe that the role of the fans is fundamental and I am openly grateful for their support this season".