FC Barcelona has to cope with the next setback. Once again, referee performance comes into focus. Hansi Flick speaks clearly – and breaks off an interview.
The newspaper Marca , close to Real Madrid, used this as an opportunity to headline: “The five darkest days of FC Barcelona.” The Catalans had experienced “five days of absolute nightmare.”
Hansi Flick and FC Barcelona were once again not satisfied with the referee’s performance
Remarkably: The newspaper – unlike large parts of the Spanish press – completely omitted the uproar surrounding the referee decisions in this article.
FC Barcelona: Referee performance in focus again
“Barca against everything and everyone,” wrote Sport , however. “Hansi Flick’s team lost the league lead due to their own mistakes and after another regrettable referee performance in Girona,” it said.
Barca will “have a hard time winning this league. Because of the decisions made by one side or the other, and also because of their own mistakes.”
At the center of the excitement was an action before Girona’s 2-1 goal by Fran Beltrán (86′). Claudio Echeverri had stepped on Barca defender Jules Koundé’s foot in a tackle, whereupon he fell to the ground with a pained expression.
Kick before the 2-1 not penalized
Referee Soto Grado, however, allowed play to continue, and the ball reached Beltrán, who scored to make it 2-1. Players and staff of FC Barcelona reacted indignantly and demanded VAR intervention – but the protests were in vain, the scene was not reviewed.
The kick was clearly visible on TV. “The more replays were shown on the video screen, the clearer it became that the Girona striker had stepped on the Barca defender’s foot. Everyone on the field had seen it, only those responsible hadn’t,” judged Mundo Deportivo .
Flick breaks off interview: “No opinion?”
After the game, Flick avoided an open confrontation with the officials, but his opinion still came through: “I don’t want to talk about it, because everyone saw the situation before the second goal.”
When asked by DAZN, Flick posed a rhetorical question: “You all saw the scene. Was it a foul or not?” Then he asked the reporter to state his opinion.
When the reporter wanted to limit himself to asking questions, Flick ended the interview. “No opinion? You have no opinion? Okay, then neither do I. I have nothing to say. Thank you very much.”
Barca defender Jules Koundé went down before the second goal against
The uproar surrounding the Koundé scene even overshadowed Lamine Yamal’s missed penalty (45’+3), which possibly should have been retaken, as several Girona players had run into the penalty area too early.
Flick criticizes Barca’s performance
However, Flick preferred to address his team’s weak performance rather than the referee issue: “I might talk more about it if we play well. We didn’t play well, so it looks like an excuse. No excuses, no complaints. I don’t want that.”
And yet, he followed with a message to the referees: “We know that we have to play better because of these things. The referees do their job, sometimes it’s not a good job.”
Despite all the anger about the officials, it was clear: Barca also had themselves to blame for the defeat. “We played really poorly in the second half. Our defense was weak,” Flick held his stars accountable.
“Right now we are not doing things correctly”
The 60-year-old elaborated: “Our positioning was not good, especially in midfield. We made too many mistakes. We need to get back on track and play well again. Right now we are not doing things correctly.”
The Blaugrana left a plethora of clear-cut chances unused especially in the first half, while the defense once again proved too vulnerable. Keeper Joan Garcia prevented Girona from setting the course for a second consecutive Barca defeat earlier with several strong saves.
Flick announced a short break for the team: “I gave them two days off.” New energy is to be recharged before the next game on Sunday against Levante: “We are all disappointed. But we will fight. It’s time to come back. On Thursday we will return with a different attitude and train better,” he promised.