Barcelona were content after their 4-1 win over Sevilla, but one of the sour notes was a red card for Fermin Lopez, who saw a yellow card upgraded after a VAR review. Lopez only came on at half-time in order to safeguard against a sending off for Gavi, who had already received a booking in the first half.
Manager Hansi Flick told the press after the game that it was a ‘lesson’ for Lopez, but Pedri complained that Valencia midfielder Hugo Guillamon had escaped punishment for a worse tackle just three days earlier at Mestalla.
“Today I told the referee that the other day there was a a worse challenge and it’s not red. I don’t understand it… But they are the ones who watch it. If they have given a red, then they have to, give a red for it every time.” he explained, as quoted by Marca.
Flick: “Whether we are the best team in La Liga? There are 4/5 very good ones.”
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) February 9, 2025
Meanwhile teammate Gavi also paid the price after he was punished by the referee with a booking. At half-time, manager Hansi Flick decided to withdraw the 20-year-old from action rather than risk the red card that Fermin did see. He told Relevo after the match that he felt as if he was being treated differently for his style of play.
“The knock hurt me a lot, and I told the manager. He knew that I had a yellow card and the game was in the balance, so best not to do anything stupid. He told me and I also told him that I had better come off because I didn’t want to go into any challenges. Everyone also already knows that the referees don’t hold back with me. That’s why the change happened. Fermin played a great game, he came on and won the game, which is the important thing. I’m very happy for him, the game wasn’t easy.”
Certainly the officiating has come into sharp focus over the past week, after Real Madrid sent a letter to RFEF President Rafael Louzan complaining about a ‘corrupt’ and manipulated system against them. That has been met with backlash across Spain, but there is a agreement that the inconsistency is causing no shortage of frustration for all involved.
