FC Barcelona are refusing to concede defeat in their bid to have head coach Hansi Flick on the touchline for Sunday’s El Clásico at the Santiago Bernabéu. Despite the RFEF’s Appeals Committee upholding Flick’s one-match suspension, the club has decided to take the case to the Administrative Court of Sport (CAS), hoping for a last-minute precautionary measure that would allow the German to lead the team against Real Madrid.
The Appeals Committee’s decision, announced Thursday, confirmed the Disciplinary
Committee’s initial ruling, which deemed valid the referee’s version of events from the match against Girona. Referee Jesús Gil Manzano reported that Flick was first shown a yellow card “for applauding one of my decisions in protest,” followed by a second yellow “for making a gesture of disapproval” immediately afterward. The two cautions resulted in Flick’s dismissal and a subsequent one-match ban.
Barcelona’s legal department filed an appeal with supporting video evidence, arguing that the footage contradicted the referee’s interpretation. However, both disciplinary bodies ruled that the videos did not sufficiently disprove the referee’s report, citing Article 27 of the Disciplinary Code, which establishes that referees’ decisions on match incidents are final unless there is a “manifest material error.” The Appeals Committee therefore dismissed the appeal and upheld the suspension.
Although the sanction only applies to one match, its timing is critical — it would force Flick to miss Clásico. Determined to overturn the decision, Barça have now submitted an urgent request to the CAS, seeking a precautionary suspension of the ban before Friday at noon, in hopes of having their manager cleared to sit on the bench at the Bernabéu.
If the request is denied, assistant coach Marcus Sorg will take charge of the team from the sidelines. He is also expected to handle Saturday’s pre-match press conference, mirroring a similar situation in May 2011 when José Mourinho had to rely on his assistant Aitor Karanka to face the media during his suspension at Real Madrid.
