Movistar shake-up senior staff with Matt White and Max Sciandri let go

Movistar have again shaken-up their performance leaving joint Head of Racing Matthew White, sports director Max Sciandri and four other key staff members without contracts for 2027.

Domestique understands that White was told just a week ago that his contract would not be renewed for 2027 by the Movistar Head of Sport Sebastián Unzué.

There was no immediate reply from Sebastián Unzué and the Movistar team when contacted by Domestique.

White was hired less than a year ago, after Jayco AlUla ended his long spell at the Australian team before the Giro d'Italia. He was hired as Head of Racing alongside veteran sports director Chente García Acosta but is now without a team for 2027.

Sciandri has been with Movistar since 2019 but was told this summer his contract as sport director would not be extended. Former Movistar rider Giovanni Visconti is reportedly set to become one of Movistar's new sports directors, leaving his young rider scouting role at GreenEdge Cycling.    

According to reports in the Spanish media, coaches and performance experts Xabier Muriel and Leonardo Piepoli will also not continue with Movistar with other staff changes expected as the team reverts to a more Spanish and less international ethos.

Reports in the Spanish media say that Murcia-based Gobik will end its time as race clothing sponsor, forcing Movistar to find a new clothing sponsor for the 2027 season. Gobik also works with Netcompany Ineos at WorldTour level.

The Movistar men's and women's WorldTour teams are managed by father and son Eusebio and Sebastián Unzué, with suggestions of different views between father and son on how to manage the team.

Sebastián has managed the successful women's team and a year ago became the Head of Sports across both teams with the creation and consolidation of the Performance, Racing, Health and Riders areas.

The Spanish team has undergone several staff changes in recent years, with Patxi Vila made Head of Performance in 2020 only for the former Basque rider to leave for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe in 2024.

Movistar has struggled to repeat the success of Alejandro Valverde and Nairo Quintana in recent years but Enric Mas pulled off a surprise comeback and victory at this year's Vuelta a Espana. Marlen Reusser wore the yellow jersey at the Tour de France Femmes and the world and European time trial titles but Cat Ferguson missed the Femmes due to suffering fractures in her ankle in a Giro d'Italia Women crash.

Movistar have signed several talented young riders for 2027 but have lost Iván García Cortina to Alpecin-Premier Tech, Lorenzo Milesi to Soudal-QuickStep and Javier Romo is expected to join Netcompany-Ineos.