Barcelona’s head coach, Hansi Flick, has voiced his bewilderment regarding the absence of VAR intervention during their Champions League quarter-final clash against Atletico Madrid, specifically concerning a potential penalty against Marc Pubill. He also downplayed the recent statements made by Real Madrid’s manager, Alvaro Arbeloa, about officiating standards in Spain.
The Catalan club has lodged a formal complaint with UEFA regarding the refereeing decisions made during their European fixture, as they find the referee’s call and the subsequent lack of VAR review inexplicable.
“I am uncertain about the eventual outcome, but it is beneficial for me and the team that the club is supporting us in this matter, as the situation was unjust. While a single mistake is understandable, repeating it is not, and the club’s backing is of great assistance.”
‘We Didn’t Play Our Best, But That Decided the Match’
Flick generally holds a positive view on the implementation of VAR but highlighted its non-intervention as a decisive factor in the match against Atletico Madrid.
“Naturally, I believe that VAR was introduced to assist. If the VAR team observed something that was incorrect and should have prompted the referee to review the play, that is precisely what was absent in that game. I think there are numerous areas where we can improve. It’s true that we didn’t deliver our finest performance and we made some errors, but the officiating at that critical juncture ultimately decided the outcome of the match.”
Hansi Flick Responds to Alvaro Arbeloa’s Remarks
On Thursday, Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa alluded to the Negreira case once again when discussing refereeing in Spain, implying a potential bias against Real Madrid. He had previously described the Negreira case as the most significant scandal in football history.
“Nothing, absolutely nothing. I do not expend my energy on such matters. It is his perspective, and that is perfectly acceptable. I am concentrating on my team and nothing else,” Flick stated in response.
“These things do not concern me. This is the nature of the business; there is a considerable amount of discourse amongst us, but as I tell my team, we must remain focused on ourselves and not on Real Madrid’s actions. We are in a favorable position, and our objective is to win every game, focusing solely on our own performance.”
Barcelona is set to compete against Espanyol at 18:30 CEST on Saturday in the Catalan derby at Camp Nou. Currently, Barcelona holds a seven-point lead over Real Madrid, who are scheduled to play Girona on Friday night.
