Barcelona president Joan Laporta dismissed questions over sports director Txiki Begiristain's future after announcing the dismissal of Frank Rijkaard yesterday.

"I have always said the same. The one that has the responsibility of the dressing room is the trainer and the players did not respond to expectation. We built one of the best squads in the world and everyone believed this," said Laporta.

"When Begiristain left the dressing room, he no longer had control. If I had the ability of Eto'o to score or the magic of Ronaldinho, then I would have pulled on a shirt to play and to score goals for this club."