Barca Coach Flick Fumes Over Refereeing Decisions in Defeat at Inter

TDT | Manama

Email: hussainm@newsofbahrain.com

Barcelona boss Hansi Flick didn’t hold back after his team’s 4-3 loss to Inter Milan at the San Siro on Tuesday night, a result that knocked the Catalans out of the Champions League semi-finals with a 7-6 aggregate defeat. An extra-time goal from Inter substitute Davide Frattesi sealed Barca’s fate, but Flick was left frustrated by a string of refereeing calls that he felt swung the game.

Barca had fought back from 2-0 down to take a 3-2 lead with Raphinha’s 87th-minute strike, only for Francesco Acerbi to equalize in stoppage time and force extra time. Frattesi’s winner in the 99th minute sent Inter through to face either Paris St Germain or Arsenal in the final, but the night was overshadowed by controversy for the visitors.

Polish referee Szymon Marciniak had a busy evening, and Flick wasn’t happy with how things played out. Marciniak awarded Inter a penalty after a VAR review for a challenge by Pau Cubarsi on Lautaro Martinez—a call Flick didn’t think was a foul. Later, a penalty decision for Barca was overturned after VAR showed Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s foul on Lamine Yamal was just outside the box. Barca’s players and bench were also up in arms over a possible handball by Acerbi in the box and a perceived foul by Denzel Dumfries on Gerard Martin in the build-up to Inter’s late equalizer.

“I don’t want to say too much about the referee, but every 50-50 call went Inter’s way,” Flick said at the press conference. “I’m disappointed, but not with my team—they gave everything. That’s how it goes. We’re out, but we’ll try again next year to make the fans happy.”

Flick added that he’d already spoken to Marciniak but kept his comments private: “I told him what I think, but I won’t say it here.” Barca, who were chasing a treble after winning the Copa del Rey, now shift their focus to LaLiga, where they lead Real Madrid by four points with four games left. They’ll host their rivals on Sunday, aiming for a fourth straight win over them this season.

Despite the heartbreak, Flick remained proud of his squad. “We’ll learn from this—it’s a step forward,” he said. “The team deserves respect for what they’ve done. We play to win titles, and we’ve still got LaLiga to fight for. The players can look in the mirror and be proud. We’ll analyze the game and move on.”