Barcelona manager Hansi Flick protested his innocence after receiving a red card which will force him to miss next weekend’s Clásico against Real Madrid.
Flick shed his familiar veneer of composure during a dramatic Catalan derby against Girona on Saturday afternoon. Barcelona had been pegged back by their struggling visitors after Pedri’s deftly taken opener, forcing the defending champions to go in search of a winning goal with an increasing stench of desperation.
As the game ticked past the 90th minute with the score still locked at 1–1, the fourth official signalled that just four minutes would be added on. Flick sarcastically applauded the decision which prompted referee Jesús Gil Manzano to produce a yellow card. The act of arguing against that booking—Flick appeared to shout at the official while swiping his arm in the air—ironically earned the Barcelona boss a second yellow.
Flick delivered an unconvincingly defense by insisting that he was merely encouraging his Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong rather than lambasting Gil Manzano. “Frenkie was there, I said: ‘Come on, Frenkie.’ Honestly, I wasn’t going for the referee,” he argued postgame.
“I clapped to cheer on my team,” Flick continued. “Maybe the red card helped us win the game. I tried to talk to Gil Manzano, but he didn’t want to. If he doesn’t want to, that’s his decision, I have to accept it.”
The German manager revealed that Barcelona would likely not appeal against his dismissal, ensuring that Flick will be absent from the touchline for Sunday’s almighty clash with Real Madrid.
