Joan Laporta dismisses Barcelona’s head of medical services

An unexpected flurry of movements seem to have taken the FC Barcelona offices by storm this week. Earlier, the club officially announced the departure of Ferran Reverter from the administration due to ‘personal reasons’. However, that just seems to be the beginning of a series of changes.

According to reports from Diario AS, Joan Laporta has terminated the contract of Dr. Ramon Canal, the head of Barcelona’s medical services.

Over the past few months, several questions have been raised about the quality of medical services at the club. Recurring injuries and poor fitness seemed to be a common problem amongst players, and the medical team was held responsible.

Though Canal arrived at the club under Joan Laporta in 2006, the doctor no longer has the faith of the management. Several members of his team have been fired in recent months, and he now faces the same treatment.

Dr. Xavier Corbella will replace him as the new head of Barcelona’s medical services from next week. The experienced practitioner works as the Vice Dean at the International University of Catalonia and has authored over 110 medical publications in his career.

The arrival of Corbella is seen as the first step towards restoring high fitness levels amongst the first team players. Moreover, reduced incidence of injuries and fast, yet effective treatment protocols are also expected from the new supervisor.

The change in personnel will also see Dr. Ricard Pruna, the top medical officer of the first team, receive more prominence in the decision-making.