DiarioSport says Rijkaard learned he would be sacked while at the team's hotel in Madrid on the morning of the game. Barca sports director Txiki Begiristain informed Rijkaard of the decision and that Pep Guardiola would be replacing him in the summer.

Rijkaard knew the bullet was coming. The Dutchman had confessed to friends before Barca's Champions League elimination at Manchester United that he had grown concerned with Begiristain's movements, with the director spending more and more time with Barca B coach Guardiola.