“We accept it, nothing more,” Flick shuts down the refereeing debate

FC Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick addressed the media on Sunday in an interview with DAZN before his press conference and made his position clear after the match. The German coach stated that the final score did not reflect what happened on the pitch and praised his team’s performance despite the defeat.

“The result doesn’t reflect our match. We created many chances and there are days when you invest a lot of energy but don’t get the luck. I appreciate what we saw,” Flick explained. He also acknowledged that the team could have defended better in a couple of isolated moments. Overall, the coach expressed satisfaction with Barcelona’s footballing approach and emphasized that, beyond the scoreboard, the team showed a clear and competitive identity for most of the game.

Flick also spoke about the return of João Cancelo, highlighting his versatility within the system. “He can play on both sides. We decided he would come on for Balde. That’s all I can say,” Flick commented, avoiding deeper individual assessments.

When asked about statements from Frenkie de Jong, who claimed that it is impossible to have a dialogue with referee Jesús Gil Manzano, Flick was firm but measured. The German coach admitted he agreed with his player but made it clear he had no intention of fueling the controversy.

“It’s an issue for the players. I think Frenkie is right, but I don’t want to waste energy on this. Everyone saw it on television and on the pitch,” Flick stated. He closed the matter with a straightforward message: “We accept it, nothing more,” signaling his desire to move on quickly and focus entirely on FC Barcelona’s sporting performance, avoiding external distractions that do not contribute to the club’s project.