Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has made no effort to hide his frustration with La Liga officiating this week, backing up his president’s comments on a penalty that the Blaugrana were not given against Getafe. A late corner saw Jules Kounde go down in the box under pressure from Chrisantus Uche, but neither the referee saw enough to give a penalty, nor did the VAR consider it sufficient to call him over to make a decision.
The decision hit the headlines after the match, but on Monday morning President Joan Laporta said that it was not being talked about it enough. Laporta referred to the decision as a scandal. Naturally, Flick was asked about it during his pre-match press conference as Barcelona prepare to face Benfica in the Champions League at the Estadio da Luz.
So far Flick has been careful not to comment much on refereeing decisions, but that intention is slowly losing grip.
“Was it or wasn’t it? (laughs). I don’t know what to say. It’s the same in every game. It’s unbelievable. For me, it’s unbelievable. You don’t need VAR, it’s a clear penalty. What should I say?”
Since Pau Cubarsí’s debut, only two centre-backs in Europe’s top leagues have played more official matches with their respective clubs: Virgil van Dijk (33) with Liverpool and Berat Djimsiti (31) with Atalanta, both with 55 appearances. Incredibly, Cubarsí is just 17 years old… pic.twitter.com/cKHlpIRs6S
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) January 20, 2025
Barcelona have found themselves on the wrong end of decisions they felt they should have had in their last three Liga games, but regardless of the officiating, there is little disagreement that their form in La Liga has put their title hopes on the rocks.
Flick will be back at the stadium, where he not only won the Champions League, but also thumped Barcelona 8-2 while he was Bayern Munich manager.
“The refereeing in Getafe was a disgrace. That they didn’t blow for a penalty is a scandal. A scandal. You should repeat it more often.”
🗣️#FCBarcelona President Joan Laporta pic.twitter.com/OJnCsIduGZ
— Football España (@footballespana_) January 20, 2025
“I have really good memories here… (laughs) It’s like that no. But that’s the past. And I’m also speaking about the final, not about the other one!”
“I think the atmosphere will be unbelievable. It’s very important that we defend well.”
