After Barcelona’s thrilling Champions League loss to Inter Milan on Tuesday night, Hansi Flick made remarks in his post-match interview that have drawn criticism. After a 3-3 draw in the first leg of the semi-final, the Catalan giants came to the legendary San Siro with a glimmer of hope, but they would ultimately lose by an exciting 7-6 aggregate.
In another instance of déjà vu, they were behind two goals early in the match. However, just as in the first leg, they put up a strong fight and took the lead in the 87th minute when Raphinha scored a strong goal. But Simone Inzaghi’s tenacious Inter team refused to give up, as Davide Frattesi scored in extra time to send the competition favourites packing and Francesco Acerbi tied the score in the 93rd minute.
Given that both teams have established themselves as among Europe’s best this season, it would seem to the impartial observer that either team might have legitimately advanced. However, Flick chose to blame the refereeing in his post-match remarks rather than acknowledge the evenly matched battle. This approach has since drawn a lot of criticism.
Hansi Flick Takes Fire At Refereeing After Champions League Exit
His controversial remarks have drawn criticism online
Although the 60-year-old was quick to express his disappointment at the loss, he was also eager to emphasise how proud he was of his players’ achievements. But his tirade after the game also seemed to place some of the blame for Barcelona’s loss on the referee. Watch the video below at 3:56 to hear what he said:
“I don’t want to talk too much about the referee, but I believe that they [Inter Milan] won every 50/50 call. We put everything into it, and that’s how it ends up. This is the reason I feel a little depressed.
His finger-pointing hasn’t been warmly received on social media, it’s safe to say. “What’s he on?” followed by “What a sore loser” from another X user. For years, Barcelona has bullied smaller teams and gotten away with it. They’ve finally found a staff capable of managing them, so why are they acting like the victim now? Additionally, a third said:
“Come on, Flick, show some style. We got a UCL classic from you and Inzaghi. Among the greatest games we’ve ever seen. Now it’s over. Don’t spoil it by griping about the referees.
Real Madrid, Barcelona’s cross-country rivals, have been known for blaming referees for losses for a large portion of this season. They have been making accusations of corruption like if they were going out of style. But the focus of criticism is quickly turning to the Catalan powerhouses as Pedri also called on UEFA to look into referee Szymon Marciniak.
“Flick crying ref bias after Barca spent months clowning Madrid for the same, funny how fast’moral high ground’ turns into VAR rage when the script flips,” concluded a fourth commenter, aptly expressing that sentiment.
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