ERIC GARCIA HITS OUT AT CHAMPIONS LEAGUE OFFICIATING FOLLOWING BARCELONA’S BITTER QUARTER-FINAL EXIT
Barcelona are out of the Champions League. Eric Garcia reflects on the red card, refereeing, and the La Liga title.
Barcelona really looked like they were about to snatch a late goal against Atletico Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals last week. Everything was set for a dramatic finish, but that just wasn’t in the cards.
Right when it felt like Barcelona were gearing up for one last push, Eric Garcia got sent off for a foul that honestly seemed pretty minimal; he wasn’t even the last man back. It fit the tone of the night, though. The referee’s decision didn’t shock anyone. It just felt like another blow in a game where everything went against Barcelona, and once Garcia was off, there was no coming back.
Garcia talked about all of this at a recent event. He spoke to the press and opened up about the red card and how the refereeing seemed to change everything.
“In these competitions, you need a bit of luck. It just wasn’t going our way at all,” he said, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo.
He didn’t blame the referees for everything, but he admitted there were some strange calls he couldn’t wrap his head around. When someone asked if the officials had been extra harsh with Barcelona, he just shrugged: “That’s how it goes sometimes. Usually, we get it tough, and other teams don’t. That’s football.”
Thinking back to that second leg, Garcia remembered moments when Barcelona really believed they could turn things around, especially when the score was still 0-2. “We believed in ourselves then. The team showed a good image. We’re learning, even though we don’t have much experience at this level, and we need to keep getting used to these kinds of games.”
Despite the disappointment, Garcia stayed upbeat about the season, especially with La Liga still within reach. “Now, we’re focused on La Liga. We’re in a good spot, and the sooner we can seal it, the better. It’s a reward for being consistent. We’ve played really well all year.”
He admitted the loss to Atletico stings, especially since they also knocked Barcelona out of the Copa del Rey. “It hurts because of the way it happened, but it doesn’t take away from what we’ve achieved so far.”
The guard of honour topic came up, too: if they win the league before El Clásico, would Real Madrid give them that traditional respect? Garcia grinned. “If they do it, it’s because we’ve already won it. As I said, I just want to win as soon as we can.”
And if the roles were reversed, would Barcelona honour Real Madrid? Garcia was clear: “If someone beats you, you have to show respect. If it were us, we’d do it for any rival.”
People also asked about his World Cup chances, since he missed out on the last Spain squad. “Everyone knows there’s a World Cup, and I’d love to be there. All I can do is give my best every game, and if the coach calls me, I’ll be delighted.”
HANSI FLICK TO LEAD BARCELONA IN EL CLASICO DESPITE HEARTBREAKING PERSONAL FAMILY LOSS
Discover how Barcelona and Real Madrid will honour Hansi Flick’s father with a minute of silence and black armbands in El Clásico.
Despite the heartbreaking news about Hansi Flick’s father just hours before El Clásico, Flick is still set to coach Barcelona on Sunday evening. Barcelona released a statement confirming the loss and sent their love to Flick, saying the whole club stands by him and his family right now.
Here’s what they said: “FC Barcelona and the entire blaugrana family wish to send all our love to Hansi Flick after the passing of his father. We share in your sorrow, and our thoughts are with you and your family during this difficult time.” Even with this heavy personal loss, Flick is going to be on the sidelines for the crucial match against Real Madrid. Both teams agreed to honour Flick’s father by wearing black armbands and holding a minute of silence before kickoff.
Real Madrid quickly responded with their own message of sympathy, calling Flick’s loss tragic and sending their condolences to him and his family. “Rest in peace,” their statement finished.
If Barcelona avoid defeat in this match, they’ll clinch the La Liga title with two games left; that’s back-to-back championships for Flick in just his first two seasons at the club.
Leading up to the game, Flick spoke about the positive vibe within the squad. He said, 'The atmosphere, the connection between the players, is something really special. We’ve got world-class talent, and you can see how close everyone is, especially the academy kids who’ve known each other forever.”
He went on: “Winning a second title with this young team would be unbelievable. The guys have done a fantastic job, and now we want to win the title for a second straight year, which isn’t common in Spain.”
Picking the starting eleven isn’t easy for Flick; almost everyone’s fit and playing at a high level. He summed it up simply: “We want to play our own game. We know what we have to do, and we want to prove it. We’re here because we played a fantastic season together as a team.”
BARTOMEU UNCOVERS SECRET 2017 MBAPPé BID DURING REVEALING CADENA SER INTERVIEW
Josep Maria Bartomeu reveals Barcelona targeted Kylian Mbappé in 2017, but coaches preferred a move for Ousmane Dembélé instead
Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has just dropped a bit of a bombshell: right after Neymar left for PSG, Barcelona actually went after Kylian Mbappe. That chaotic summer in 2017, when Neymar's record-breaking move sent shockwaves through the club, left them scrambling for a new superstar.
Bartomeu admitted in an interview with SER that Neymar’s shock exit caught everyone off guard. “Neymar’s departure came as a shock to the club; we didn’t want him to leave,” he said. Suddenly, Barcelona was scouring the market for big names, and with Mbappe starring at Monaco, he became their top target.
But here’s the twist: even though the club reached out for both Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, the coaching staff made the final call. Bartomeu explained, “We made an offer for Mbappe and another for Dembele. The coaching staff preferred Dembele.” So, instead of pushing for Mbappe, Barcelona pressed ahead with Dembele, ultimately striking a deal with Borussia Dortmund worth €105 million plus add-ons.
Of course, there was the small matter of money, too. Bartomeu clarified that the price Monaco set for Mbappe was simply out of reach: €180 million, take it or leave it, and it was PSG who could step up. “It wasn’t an offer in the strict sense. They would say to you, "He's worth €180 million." If you want Mbappe, it’s €180 million, and Paris paid it.” Between the steep price and the coaching staff’s strong preference for Dembele, Barcelona backed off.
Bartomeu also opened up about how he handled transfers during his tenure. One thing stood out: after he pushed for the Luis Suarez signing from Liverpool despite all the controversy and got hammered with criticism, he decided to step back and trust the technical staff from then on. Suarez went on to win the Champions League and four La Liga titles with Barcelona, but that experience taught Bartomeu a lesson. “The only decision I made as president or as an administrator, and which I defended vigorously, was the signing of Suarez,” he said. “I was heavily criticised by all the media, so I learned the lesson that the president or administrators cannot interfere in sporting matters. We must trust the technical staff, the sporting directors, and the coaches; it is they who decide on signings.”
