Appeals Committee make decision on Hansi Flick’s El Clasico ban

Barcelona will not have head coach Hansi Flick in the dugout for this weekend’s El Clasico showdown against Real Madrid, with it now being confirmed that their efforts to have him available at the Santiago Bernabeu have been in vain.

Flick was sent off by referee Jesus Gil during Barcelona’s 2-1 victory over Girona last weekend, having been shown two yellow cards. It was confirmed that an appeal against this decision had been lodged, but the Disciplinary Committee decided that the dismissal was justified, and subsequently handed out a one-match suspension.

Barcelona submitted a new appeal to the Appeals Committee, but as per MD, this has now been rejected. As a result, Flick will be banned from the touchline, meaning that he will be forced to watch El Clasico from the stands – unless the club decides to make one final appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Barcelona assistant coach Marcus Sorg will fill in for Flick

Barcelona will naturally be very disappointed not to have Flick in the dugout at the Bernabeu, where he won 4-0 last season. His absence will mean that assistant head coach Marcus Sorg steps up to lead the team, which he did on two occasions last season against Leganes and Atletico Madrid.

Worrying for Barcelona, they lost both of those matches (0-1 to Leganes, 1-2 against Atleti), so there is proof that not having Flick in the dugout is a significant disadvantage for them. However, there will still be confidence that a result can be achieved with Sorg leading the team.

For now, it remains to be seen whether Barcelona decide to take the matter to CAS, but they have until Friday at 12pm CEST to do so. If it is decided that no further appeal will be filed, Flick will be in the stands on Sunday afternoon.