Laporta:

During the assembly of member delegates, one of the attendees directly asked him if there was a possible "white hand" behind the refereeing of the Extremaduran official.

Laporta hints at unequal treatment

"Are you talking about a white hand? If there isn´t one, it looks very much like it. Our coach won´t be there for the next match, although the club will appeal Hansi Flick´s sanction," Laporta stated, making his position clear regarding what happened in the match. The Barça president was particularly upset about the way the German coach´s expulsion occurred: "the referee oversteps when he shows the yellow card and waits for our coach to keep reacting. It will be difficult for them to revoke the cards."

Criticism of the referee´s history

Laporta also focused on Gil Manzano´s past with the Blaugrana club, recalling that "I didn´t like the referee´s attitude; this gentleman has sent off almost all our standout players, he has a record with us that is just to be seen. Something always happens. It just so happens that it is before a match in which the leadership of the League will be at stake." His words reflect a clear distrust towards the referee, especially considering the proximity of the next league commitment, crucial for defining the top positions in the standings.

Self-criticism despite the complaints

Despite his anger, Laporta wanted to make it clear that poor refereeing should not serve as an excuse and acknowledged the team´s difficulties in the match: "we weren´t sharp either" in the narrow victory against Girona. With these statements, the Blaugrana president once again brought the refereeing debate surrounding Barça to the forefront, but without losing sight of the need to improve the sporting performance of the team led by Flick.