BARCELONA: Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova has suffered a relapse of cancer a year after surgeons removed a tumor from his salivary gland, reports said yesterday, in a potentially bitter blow for the Spanish league leaders.
Messages of support poured in for the 44-year-old, whose team is flying nine points high at the top of La Liga, although the club itself had yet to officially confirm the news on Wednesday afternoon.
“Relapse in Tito illness. Barca coach hit with return of the cancer he had in 2011,” said the Catalan daily Mundo Deportivo, with the same story carried on the Internet site of Sport, another Barcelona paper close to the club.
The Catalan giants said only in a statement that a scheduled news conference for Wednesday lunchtime with Barca president Sandro Rossell had been canceled, as had a planned Christmas meal with the media.
Spanish newspaper El Economista citing sources close to the club said Vilanova’s assistant Jordi Roura would take over his duties in his absence. Various media said Vilanova was due to be operated on again imminently.
Barcelona said they would make a further announcement later in the day.
The reports came at a dramatic time for Barcelona, one of the world’s most successful football teams, who have made their best ever start to the league season, while their fierce rivals and title holders Real Madrid are suffering a malaise.
Jose Mourinho’s side are 13 points adrift in third place and rattled by reports of internal squabbles.
Real Madrid preempted any official announcement on Vilanova’s condition Wednesday by wishing Vilanova well in a statement.
“Real Madrid wishes to express all its support, love and affection for Barcelona’s coach Tito Vilanova, to whom it wishes a quick recovery,” it said. “Real Madrid extends this support to his club and all his family.”
On Twitter messages of support came from sporting figures including tennis champion Rafael Nadal who said: “All my strength and support to Tito Vilanova. We are with you to overcome this.”
Vilanova has been Barca manager since the departure of his long-time comrade-in-arms Pep Guardiola in April this year.
He underwent an operation to remove a tumor on his parotid gland — the largest of the salivary glands — on November 22, 2011 and was back at work as Guardiola’s deputy just 15 days later.
Vilanova has led Barcelona to the most successful start to a season in La Liga’s history, with 15 wins and one draw in 16 matches so far.
They rule supreme over Spain’s clubs, nine points ahead of runners-up Atletico Madrid, in large part due to Argentine talisman Lionel Messi, who has taken his tally for the calendar year to a record-breaking 90.
Vilanova played only briefly as a professional in Spain’s top flight, notably with Celta Vigo, before turning to coaching at the end of his career and finding his way back to the club of his youth.
