“It’s disrespectful” – Hansi Flick reacts to Jude Bellingham controversy – Football España

Saturday was a very good day for Barcelona, and they were not even in action. Draws for Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid mean that the Catalans can go top of La Liga with a victory over Rayo Vallecano at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Monday.

As per MD, Hansi Flick spoke on the possibility of Barcelona going back to the summit of La Liga during his pre-match press conference. While he was pleased to see Real Madrid and Atleti drop points, he understands that he can only focus on what his side do.

“Yes, I was informed because they went early. For me, what matters is our matches. That is what we have to do. It’s important to lead the standings, but the important thing is the end. It helps confidence and to believe in what is ours, but first we have to play and win. We want to play a great game.”

The big controversy during Saturday’s matches was the red card shown to Jude Bellingham at El Sadar. On the matter, Flick sided with referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero.

“It’s disrespectful, but I don’t have to decide this situation. I tell my players not to waste time or energy talking to the referees. The decisions have already been made. There is a player on the field who has permission to argue with the referee, and that is the captain.

“I really like handball and we should learn a lot about that sport. It’s not good for the team to get a red card and we don’t want that.”

Barcelona have had a very strong start to 2025 across all competitions, and they can culminate their form by doing back to the top of La Liga, a position that they held for the first few months of the season. However, it will not be easy against a Rayo side that are also in very high spirits.