Finally, the extent of the sanction facing FC Barcelona's coach, Hansi Flick, has been revealed after the controversial red card he received, the first of his career as a culé, in the match between the blue-and-red team and Real Betis, which ended in a 2-2 draw. The native of Heidelberg was involved in a rather controversial situation, where apparently the action was not proportional to the penalty he ultimately received.

It should be noted that the German coach was sent off during the match between Barcelona and Betis in the last round 17 of the EA Sports League, at the 66th minute of the match. At that moment, referee Alejandro Muñiz Ruiz sent Hansi Flick off after his angry protest regarding the penalty committed by Frenkie de Jong on Vitor Roque, which ultimately resulted in the equalizer at 1-1.

This incident was recorded in the referee's report as: "For leaving the technical area shouting and gesticulating, protesting one of my decisions". It is important to highlight that the German later clarified, emphasizing that he never intended to disrespect or insult the referee, but rather his anger was directed at himself for receiving a decision against him.

How many matches will Hansi Flick miss in LaLiga with Barcelona due to this sanction?

Now, due to this expulsion, which is controversial from any perspective, the Disciplinary Committee of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has ruled that Hansi Flick will receive a two-match suspension, based on Article 127 of the Disciplinary Code, which states: "Protesting to the main referee, assistants, or fourth referee, as long as it does not constitute a more serious offense, will be sanctioned with a suspension of two to three matches or up to one month."

The resolution from the disciplinary body:

"The repeated viewing of the images has not allowed this Committee to conclude that the action that led to the expulsion did not occur as described by the referee and, ultimately, to prove the manifest material error claimed by the club. The referee's description seems, on the contrary, at least prima facie, and despite what the club considers, to fit the facts that led to the expulsion, from the privileged perspective of the immediacy that the referee and his assistant possess, as seen in the images provided by FC Barcelona. Furthermore, after his expulsion, the coach continued his protests towards the refereeing team.

For purely dialectical purposes, even though, indeed, certain moments of a match may generate special tension or, as invoked by FC Barcelona, a disagreement with a refereeing decision, nothing justifies a verbal and gestural reaction that goes as far as leaving the technical area.

In conclusion, this disciplinary body does not consider the manifest material error alleged by FC Barcelona to be proven. The proof of this, as repeatedly maintained by sports disciplinary bodies, cannot be reduced to alleging an alternative version of the events that, in this case, differs from what is shown in images that are compatible with the detailed description of the facts contained in the referee's report."

When would the German coach return to manage in LaLiga with Barça?

With this scenario in mind, as recently reported by FCBN, the blue-and-red coach will not return to sit on the culé bench for the remainder of 2024, at least concerning the EA Sports LaLiga, since Barcelona has only two league matches left: one on December 15 at Montjuïc against CD Leganés, corresponding to round 18, and the clash against Atlético de Madrid (round 19), also in Montjuïc, next Saturday, December 21, being the last match of the year for the Barcelona team.

In this context, the German coach will not be able to manage the team in EA Sports LaLiga until January 19, 2025, once he has served his two-match suspension, and he could return for round 20 of the local tournament in the match between FC Barcelona and Getafe CF at the Coliseum. It is important to note that this situation could change if the appeal made by Barça to the Administrative Sports Court (CSD) is successful and manages to reverse the decision. Will the appeal be successful?