President of Referee’s Technical Committee admits Barcelona boss did not deserve red card | OneFootball

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick recently found himself at the centre of a controversial decision during a match against Real Betis. The clash, on 7 December, saw Flick receive a direct red card from referee Muniz Ruiz.

According to the official referee’s report, Flick was expelled for stepping outside his technical area, shouting, gesturing, and protesting a decision. This led to a two-match suspension, upheld even after Barcelona appealed the ruling.

However, Luis Medina Cantalejo, the president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), has since admitted that the expulsion was unwarranted.

During a seminar held with referees, Cantalejo addressed the incident and expressed dissatisfaction with the decision to penalise Flick, stating that he ‘did nothing wrong’.

An audio recording released by Jijantes captured Cantalejo criticising the expulsion, noting that Flick had not committed any significant misconduct to justify such a punishment.

What did Cantalejo say?

Cantalejo’s frustration appeared to stem from inconsistencies in how referees handle protests and gestures from players and managers.

He pointed out that throughout the season, officials have tolerated a wide range of actions, such as excessive gestures, verbal complaints, and even the throwing of objects, without issuing similar penalties.

In Flick’s case, however, a much less severe reaction led to his expulsion, sparking questions about fairness and consistency.

“Making all kinds of gestures, barbarities and so on and here we continue with the collegiality in the tunnel of locker rooms.

“Shaking hands, hugs, ‘you’re a crack’ or ‘you’re a beast’. And this week, I have to say it, we have seen the expulsion of a coach. May God come and see,” he began saying.

Need for verbal warnings

The CTA president also highlighted the need for referees to apply verbal warnings more effectively.

“It’s different if we know that a guy is causing problems every weekend, protesting everything and doing everything to us, so if one day I go too far, he should shut up.”

He noted that a protocol had been introduced to handle such situations, encouraging referees to issue clear verbal warnings before escalating to penalties.

“Besides, we put in place last year or the year before, I don’t remember now, this protocol of verbal warning. We go there, we clearly warned him verbally and everyone has already seen it.”

Asking for fairness

Hansi Flick was sent off against Real Betis. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Cantalejo emphasised the importance of maintaining fairness in these decisions, acknowledging that expressions of frustration are a natural part of the game and should not always result in severe punishment.

“If the coach continues to protest or wants to have the last word: warning, but I repeat, we are going to try by all means to be a little fairer,” he added.

While the incident has drawn significant attention, it has also reignited the debate over the standards and practices of officiating in football.

For Barcelona, the situation adds to their frustrations, as the loss of their manager for two matches impacted their tactical approach during a critical phase of the season.