BARCELONA: Barcelona coach Hansi Flick showed his anger at the harassment of La Liga referees on Friday, after weeks of complaints from title rivals Real Madrid about Spanish arbitration.
Los Blancos sent a letter to the Spanish football federation complaining officiating in the country was “rigged” and referee Jose Munuera Montero faced abuse on social media this week after sending off Madrid’s Jude Bellingham.
Champions Real Madrid have attacked Spanish referees consistently on their club television channel this season and coach Carlo Ancelotti said he prefers officiating in the Champions League.
“The referees at the moment, what they are doing here in Spain with them is unbelievable,” Flick told a news conference, bringing up the matter of his own accord.
“You have to think about the families of the referees, all of us make mistakes, and if it happened in a match I think it’s the responsibility of the coaches and the players to protect them.
“I don’t like that, we’re always using our energy to discuss (them)... we have to trust in them, and I think the federation has to show how strong they are.”
The Spanish football federation said Friday the slogan “Respect the referee, respect football” will be used ahead of matches this weekend.
Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham was banned for two matches this week after showing dissent to referee Jose Munuera Montero during his team’s 1-1 draw at Osasuna last weekend.
Bellingham was sent off and Madrid’s appeal against his ban was rejected Friday, meaning he will not be available for Los Blancos on Sunday against Girona.
“Bellingham is an excellent player, one of the best in his position, and he’s not my player, so I don’t have anything to say about that,” continued Flick.
The former Bayern Munich coach said referees should be protected.
“We always look for excuses, if we lose it’s the referee’s fault... I say, everyone makes mistakes, I do too and maybe a referee...
“We have to protect the match because we cannot play without referees, so this is what we have to do.”
Barcelona pulled level on points with Real Madrid on Monday with a 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano but lead the lead on goal difference, ahead of their visit to Las Palmas on Saturday.
Madrid have been criticizing officials for months on their television channel but stepped up their complaints after Espanyol defender Carlos Romero was not sent off for fouling Kylian Mbappe when the sides met on February 1 in La Liga.
Barcelona’s Flick upset by referee harassment
https://arab.news/psyd6
Barcelona’s Flick upset by referee harassment
- “The referees at the moment, what they are doing here in Spain with them is unbelievable,” Flick told a news conference
- “You have to think about the families of the referees, all of us make mistakes”
Pakistan face arch-rivals India today in blockbuster T20 World Cup clash in Colombo
- Cricket contest takes place amid surging political tensions between India and Pakistan after their May 2025 clash
- Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav says team will decide whether or not to shake hands with Pakistani cricketers
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan take on defending champions and arch-rivals India today, Sunday, in Colombo in a highly anticipated T20 World Cup 2026 clash between the two sides.
The Group A fixture between the two sides will not just be important for the on-field cricket action but also because of the political tensions between the neighbors. India and Pakistan engaged in a brief military confrontation in May 2025 which came to a halt after Washington brokered a ceasefire.
However, political tensions spilled over onto the cricket field when Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav opted out of shaking hands with his Pakistani counterpart before the toss at their Asia Cup encounter last year in September. The Indian team refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts in all three matches of the tournament, triggering a strong protest from Pakistan.
Tensions surged again after Pakistan’s government announced earlier this month it would not allow its team to play against India in the World Cup in solidarity with Bangladesh. The South Asian country was replaced with Scotland after it refused to play its matches in India due to security reasons. Pakistan criticized the move and announced boycotting the Feb. 15 match against India. However, Islamabad later took back its decision to boycott the match after negotiations with the International Cricket Council.
“The game should be played in real spirit, the way it has been played since it started,” Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said at the pre-match press conference on Saturday. “The rest is up to them (India), what they want to do.”
Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav did not commit whether his team will shake hands with Pakistan or not on Sunday.
“Why are you highlighting that?” Yadav asked reporters. “We are here to play cricket. We will play good cricket. We will take all those calls tomorrow. We will see tomorrow.”
Political and military tensions have meant the two teams have not played a bilateral series for years.
India has not traveled to Pakistan since 2008 and Pakistan visited India for the 50-over World Cup in 2023 but has since played ICC tournaments at neutral venues.
India has defeated Pakistan 12 times in the 16 T20 games they have played. They also have an impressive 6-1 record in the eight T20 World Cup matches since the first edition in 2007, with one being tied.
“We don’t have a good record against them in World Cups,” Agha admitted. “But whenever you come to play a new match, it’s a new day and you have to play good cricket to win.
“You can’t change history. You can learn from it. We learned from it and we’ll try to do a good performance tomorrow and win the match.”
Both sides have won their two fixtures so far, with India beating the USA and Namibia while Pakistan have defeated the Netherlands and the USA as well.
The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super Eight stage of the World Cup.
The match is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Pakistan Standard Time.
