Barcelona Disappointed with RFEF, Appeals Flick's Red Card to Sports Administrative Court
FC Barcelona refuses to give up and is making every effort through all legal channels to ensure head coach Hansi Flick can lead the team from the sidelines at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in this Sunday's El Clásico. After the Appeal Committee of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) confirmed a one-match ban for the German tactician, the Blaugrana have filed an appeal with the Sports Administrative Court (Tribunal Administrativo Deportivo, TAD), seeking a provisional injunction to allow him to manage against Real Madrid.
The appeal ruling announced this Thursday upheld the Disciplinary Committee’s stance and endorsed the referee’s report submitted by Jesús Gil Manzano, who sent Flick off the bench late in Barcelona’s match against Girona. The report stated that the coach was first warned for "clapping to protest a decision," then shown a second yellow card for "making a gesture of disagreement" after the initial caution.
As the dismissal resulted from two yellow cards rather than a direct red, the sanction is limited to one match—but that is enough to bar Flick from the Bernabéu dugout this weekend. Barcelona had submitted appeal documents and provided video evidence they believed refuted the referee’s report. However, both the Disciplinary Committee and Appeal Committee ruled the footage failed to override Manzano’s on-field account.
The Appeal Committee further cited Article 27 of the Disciplinary Code: "The referee’s determination of match facts is final and presumed to be true unless there is an obvious material error." Based on this provision, the body rejected Barcelona’s appeal and maintained the original penalty.
But Barcelona still holds a final hope: it must urgently file an application for a provisional injunction to suspend the sanction with the Sports Administrative Court by noon on Friday to enable Flick to fulfill his duties in El Clásico. If the application is ultimately denied, assistant coach Marcus Sorg will take charge on the sidelines.
Barcelona insiders have made no secret of their disappointment with RFEF’s decision, deeming the punishment excessive and the referee’s disciplinary standards overly harsh. Thus, they pin their hopes on the Sports Administrative Court—the highest authority in sports discipline—to intervene promptly, allowing the German coach to be present for the most high-profile showdown of the season so far.
