Flick Sent Off for Protesting Penalty in Barcelona Draw at Betis

Barcelona's German coach Hans-Dieter Flick (L) reacts to receiving a red card during the Spanish league football match between Real Betis and FC Barcelona at the Benito Villamarin stadium in Seville on December 7, 2024. (Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP)
Barcelona's German coach Hans-Dieter Flick (L) reacts to receiving a red card during the Spanish league football match between Real Betis and FC Barcelona at the Benito Villamarin stadium in Seville on December 7, 2024. (Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP)
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Flick Sent Off for Protesting Penalty in Barcelona Draw at Betis

Barcelona's German coach Hans-Dieter Flick (L) reacts to receiving a red card during the Spanish league football match between Real Betis and FC Barcelona at the Benito Villamarin stadium in Seville on December 7, 2024. (Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP)
Barcelona's German coach Hans-Dieter Flick (L) reacts to receiving a red card during the Spanish league football match between Real Betis and FC Barcelona at the Benito Villamarin stadium in Seville on December 7, 2024. (Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP)

Coach Hansi Flick was sent off for protesting a penalty decision and Barcelona was held at Real Betis to 2-2 in La Liga on Saturday.
Flick disagreed with the referee’s decision to grant a penalty following a video review when Betis forward Vitor Roque fell in the area following a brush with Frenkie de Jong, The Associated Press reported.
Giovani Lo Celso converted the 66th-minute penalty to level the score after Robert Lewandowski put the visitors ahead in the 38th with his league-leading 16th goal.
Substitute Ferran Torres scored from a pass by Lamine Yamal to put Barcelona back in front in the 82nd, but Assane Diao struck in injury time to secure the draw for Betis.
Barcelona has dropped points in four of the last five rounds. The league leader is five points ahead of Real Madrid, which has two games in hand.
Flick said he was surprised by the referee’s decision to expel him, but refused to criticize his sending off or the penalty decision that came after the ref viewed video replays.
“I said nothing really to anyone, it was a reaction for myself,” the former Bayern Munich boss said about his alleged protest. “I am really disappointed about (the sending off) because that has never happened to me, but maybe here (in Spain) it is like this.”
After outscoring opponents 29-5 during a run of seven straight wins that included big victories over Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, Barcelona has hit its first dip in form since Flick’s arrival last summer. The skid over the past month includes its first home loss to the modest Las Palmas in over 50 years and wasting a 2-0 lead in a draw at Celta Vigo.
Barcelona bounced back with a 5-1 win at Mallorca this week, but the draw at Betis may be the most worrying setback for Flick yet. His team could have lost if it wasn’t for the goalkeeping of Iñaki Peña, who among his saves turned back a powerful point blank strike by Chimy Ávila.
Flick said his team played poorly and its only “good play” in the first half was the pass by Jules Koundé that set up Lewandowski. His remedy was for his team to speed up its passing game and reduce the number of long balls that Flick said were not his team's strength.
Flick also defended substituting Lewandowski, Raphinha, Pedri, and Dani Olmo — the team's best attacking players along with Yamal — for the need to rest them ahead of Barcelona's Champions League game at Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.
Yamal put Barcelona back in charge after he threaded the ball through the Betis backline for Torres to score. That was the 17-year-old’s league-leading ninth assist.
Diao, however, unleashed the celebrations in Benito Villamarin Stadium when he used the inside of his right leg to redirect a cross by Aitor Rubial just inside the far post of Peña’s net.
“We are disappointed because we missed a chance to get a win by conceding a late goal,” Koundé said. “We let them take the game to us.”
Manuel Pellegrini’s team remained in 11th place after ending a run of seven consecutive home losses to Barcelona.
Isco returns for Betis Isco Alarcon returned to the field for the first time since the Betis midfielder broke a bone in his left fibula in May. The former Real Madrid playmaker played the final minutes as a substitute.



Bayern Munich's Hiroki Itō Suffers Recurrence of Foot Injury

Bayern Munich's Japanese defender #21 Hiroki Ito plays the ball during the German first division Bundesliga football match between FC Bayern Munich and St Pauli in Munich, southern Germany on March 29, 2025. (Photo by Alexandra BEIER / AFP)
Bayern Munich's Japanese defender #21 Hiroki Ito plays the ball during the German first division Bundesliga football match between FC Bayern Munich and St Pauli in Munich, southern Germany on March 29, 2025. (Photo by Alexandra BEIER / AFP)
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Bayern Munich's Hiroki Itō Suffers Recurrence of Foot Injury

Bayern Munich's Japanese defender #21 Hiroki Ito plays the ball during the German first division Bundesliga football match between FC Bayern Munich and St Pauli in Munich, southern Germany on March 29, 2025. (Photo by Alexandra BEIER / AFP)
Bayern Munich's Japanese defender #21 Hiroki Ito plays the ball during the German first division Bundesliga football match between FC Bayern Munich and St Pauli in Munich, southern Germany on March 29, 2025. (Photo by Alexandra BEIER / AFP)

Bayern Munich defender Hiroki Itō is out indefinitely with another serious foot injury, adding to the team’s defensive woes ahead of its Champions League quarterfinal against Inter Milan.
The Bavarian powerhouse said Sunday that Itō suffered a recurrence of a fracture in his right metatarsal during Bayern’s 3-2 win over St. Pauli in the Bundesliga on Saturday, The Associated Press reported. Itō had gone on as a substitute and was unable to finish the game, leaving Bayern, which had used all of its substitutes, a player short for the final minutes.
Itō, who joined Bayern from league rival Stuttgart before the season, first suffered the injury in a pre-season warmup game against Düren. There was a setback during his comeback in November, necessitating another operation. The Japan defender finally made his comeback in February, playing in six Bundesliga games and two Champions League matches.
“He’s only just battled back after months of rehab and will now be out for a long time again – we can barely imagine how he’s feeling,” board member for sport Max Eberl said. “He’ll get all the support he needs from us.”
Last week, Bayern had defenders Alphonso Davies and Dayot Upamecano ruled out with knee injuries sustained on international duty.
“We’ve now lost a third defender in a short space of time,” Eberl said. “We will now pool our forces even more to continue pursuing our goals.”
Bayern, which leads the Bundesliga by six points with seven rounds remaining, hosts Inter for the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on April 8, with the second leg in Milan on April 16.