Belgium boss Roberto Martinez rules himself OUT of contention for Barcelona job with Ronald Koeman facing sack

ROBERTO MARTINEZ has ruled himself out of contention for the Barcelona job.

The Spaniard has been heavily linked with the post as pressure has mounted on current boss Ronald Koeman.


But the former Wigan Athletic and Everton manager has asserted that he is committed to leading Belgium at next year's World Cup in Qatar.

As per Fabrizio Romano, Martinez said: "It’s not easy for me to talk about it.

"I've been working for five years with Belgium and I'm 100 per cent focused on this.

"We’re going to prepare for the World Cup now. There’s nothing else to say."

Barca president Joan Laporta recently gave Koeman a vote of confidence, despite a number of links to other managers, including Xavi.

He said: "Ronald Koeman will continue to be Barca's coach, we understand that he deserves a margin of confidence for many reasons.

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"He is a Barcelona player, a reference in the world of Barcelona. He will continue and deserves a margin of confidence."

Koeman, 58, has endured a difficult spell as Barca boss, having had to put up with numerous off-field problems sparked by the club's mounting debt.

Having lost Lionel Messi in the summer, the Catalan giants sit ninth in LaLiga after seven games.

They have also had to endure 3-0 humblings at the hands of Bayern Munich and Benfica in the Champions League.

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