Barcelona manager Hansi Flick left stupified by Spanish refereeing | OneFootball

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has done his best to stay clear of refereeing controversy during his time at the club, but certainly has had the temptation to express his true feelings in recent weeks.

The German coach said at the start of his tenure that he would not speak about referees, nor would he use excuses for results, but has slightly changed his tone in recent weeks. Flick noted that Robert Lewandowski’s goal against Real Sociedad should have been allowed in the press conference after the game, and while he explained that he was unsure what he was sent off for against Real Betis, he asked only in the following press conference that the bar was the same for every coach.

According to Radio Catalunya, Flick has been left ‘stupified’ by Spanish refereeing in recent months. He has also been surprised at the lack of response from the club and the press to decisions that he does not understand. In private, he has commented on the matter, and does not understand why a different criteria was applied to him and other Liga managers during his sending off. All the same, he will not address the matter publicly in order to maintain a lower profile.

Flick will not be on the bench on Saturday for Barcelona’s crunch match at Montjuic due to a two-match suspension that came as a consequence of his sending off in Seville. That is the second game he will miss, completing his suspension, with assistant Marcus Sorg overseeing a 1-0 defeat to Leganes in his absence.