Barcelona manager Hansi Flick, has urged his players to show respect to referees and avoid arguing with them. His comments come after Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham was sent off for confronting the referee during their 1-1 draw against Osasuna.
The referee, Jose Luis Munuera Montero, said that Bellingham said “f* you,” which led to his immediate dismissal. However, Bellingham insisted that he actually said “f* off” and that it was directed at himself out of frustration, not the referee.
After the match, Bellingham insisted he did not insult the referee and called the situation a misunderstanding. The following day, he apologized on social media for putting his team in a difficult situation.
He wrote: “Enough said about the misunderstanding, just wanted to apologize again for leaving my teammates in such a tough position and thank the fans for their support and understanding. See you at home on Wednesday.”
Speaking ahead of Barcelona’s home game against Rayo Vallecano on Monday, Flick emphasized that he had reminded his players to stay calm and avoid conflicts with match officials.
“It’s disrespect. For me, it’s like that. But I don’t have to decide (the punishments),” he told a press conference on Sunday.
“I don’t like this behaviour and I said this today to my players because it’s very important. It is not good for the team when you do this and get the red card. It’s a weakness and we don’t like that.
“We have one person on the pitch who is allowed to discuss with the referee and that is the captain. We have to accept that.”
Third-placed Barca can return to the top of LaLiga with a win over Rayo later on Monday.