The Competition Committee sanctions Hansi Flick with a 1-match La Liga ban

Published New:22/10/2025 - 16:40h

Updated New:22/10/2025 - 16:40h

The RFEF's Competition Committee confirmed the one-match La Liga suspension for Hansi Flick following his expulsion in the Barça-Girona match. Therefore, the German will not be able to manage in El Clásico

The Competition Committee of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), as expected, rejected the appeal filed by FC Barcelona regarding the expulsion of Hansi Flick in matchday 9 of LaLiga EA Sports 2025/26. The German coach received a one-match suspension after the double yellow card shown to him by Jesús Gil Manzano in the match against Girona (2-1).

According to the minutes of the Extremaduran referee, Flick received two consecutive cards for protesting the added time (4 minutes) and making disapproving gestures at the first warning. The sanction could have been harsher if Gil Manzano had included in his report the 'botifarras' that the coach threw during his celebrations for Ronald Araujo's goal in the 90+3'.

However, the referee's official report only justifies the reason for his expulsion, and therefore, the punishment is only one match. A sanction that the Barça coach will have to serve next Sunday the 26th, against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Barça will appeal Flick's sanction through all possible channels

The Barça team will now present another appeal to the Appeals Committee to try to reverse the sanction. The most likely outcome is that this body will support the Competition Committee, so the next (and final) instance that Barça can exhaust is the Administrative Court of Sport (TAD).

The club argues that none of the images from the broadcast of the match prove that Flick's gestures were indeed directed at Gil Manzano. Furthermore, the Barça coach wanted to apologize to the referee after the match, but the Extremaduran judge ignored his call.

In this regard, Joan Laporta ratified Barcelona's unconditional support for Hansi Flick, in addition to criticizing Gil Manzano's performance. "The referee was wrong to wait for our coach's reaction, he could have turned around and continued," the Barça president began by saying.

He also added: "I'll break a lance in favor of Flick, he's human and can have a reaction like that. He immediately regretted it, but it's very normal and part of the passion of soccer."

Marcus Sorg Would Be the Barça Coach Against Real Madrid

Hansi Flick during the Barça-Athletic (2-1)

In the event that the sanction against the Barça coach is ratified by the Appeals Committee and the TAD, Marcus Sorg will be the one sitting on the bench at the Santiago Bernabéu next Sunday. Flick's first assistant already had to replace him in two league games last season, after the Heidelberg native's expulsion against Betis.

Sorg, then, didn't have much luck as the 'culé' coach. The team fell in consecutive matches against Leganés (0-1) and Atlético (1-2), both matches played in Montjuïc. Barça dominated both matches, but wasted multiple chances and, in the case of the match against the 'colchoneros', was sentenced by a lethal counterattack in the last minute.

For now, Flick maintains an immaculate record in Clásicos, with 4 wins in as many matches and a balance of 16 goals for (an average of 4 goals per match) and 7 against. On Sunday, the 59-year-old coach will be looking to equal Pep Guardiola, the only Barcelona coach capable of winning his first 5 matches against Real Madrid.