Barcelona boss Hansi Flick has called on his players to refrain from disrespectful behaviour towards match officials ahead of the La Liga clash against Rayo Vallecano on Monday night.
The Barcelona boss made the request in the wake of Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham’s dismissal as the league leaders played a 1-1 draw at Osasuna on Saturday.
Bellingham was shown a straight red card for arguing with the center referee Munuera Montero, with the Englishman insisting afterwards that he had not insulted the referee and described the situation as a misunderstanding.
“It’s disrespect. For me, it’s like that. But I don’t have to decide (the punishments),” Flick said while speaking to the media. “I don’t like this behaviour and I said this today to my players because it’s very important.’
Flick added, “It is not good for the team when you do this and get the red card. It’s a weakness and we don’t like that. We have one person on the pitch who is allowed to discuss with the referee and that is the captain. We have to accept that.”
Barcelona, currently in third spot on the table, can return to the top of La Liga if they manage to get a win over Rayo Vallecano.