When the Whistle Sparks a Debate: Laporta, Flick, and Barca’s Balancing Act
21 October 2025
Context and Flick’s moment in Girona
Joan Laporta, Barcelona's president, said that German coach Hans Flick felt immediate remorse after his sending-off in the Girona match, attributing the tension to refereeing decisions.
Laporta spoke Tuesday at a forum held at the Catalonia Conference Center, where he discussed sport and geography, ahead of Barca's Champions League clash with Olympiakos at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.
During the forum, alongside journalist Io Andrés of Ser, he covered several club issues, including Flick's dismissal that will keep him off the bench in the Clasico against Real Madrid at the Bernabéu.
Flick’s demeanor and Barca’s values
Laporta added: “Flick is very serious and plans everything carefully, yet he also has a strong human touch with players. What happened in the match upset him because he doesn't usually act like that, but the circumstances explain his reaction.”
He continued: “Sometimes refereeing decisions spark differences in opinion, and in moments of anger a team full of passion can erupt. I defend Flick as a person; it's natural to show such impulses. He immediately regretted what happened, but his conduct wasn't violent or meant to offend; it flowed from his love for the game.”
He then touched the geopolitical side of football, confirming Barca remains attached to its historic values after more than 125 years. “We still deserve the label More than a club in 2025. We are a global club that preserves the founder's core while welcoming ideas from fans around the world.”
Management, elections, and investments
On leadership as elections approach, he said: “The sporting side cannot be separated from the institutional or representational one. Barca is a complex institution not to be run with a purely commercial mindset, though economic efficiency is necessary. The aim is to balance financial sense with sporting and social insight in harmony.”
He closed by rejecting the idea of turning Barca into a listed company owned by investment funds: “The club's legal status makes it hard for funds to take control. We have sponsor relations but not ownership. We keep a clear distance from investors and draw our boundaries clearly.”
Numbers that alarm Barca
A section titled Troubling numbers shows Barca's physical metrics under Flick are worrying as the 2025-26 season begins.
Sport, citing La Liga data, shows a decline in running distances and high-speed meters, placing Barca below last season's levels and the league average.
In 2024-25 Barca was among the league’s most active sides, finishing fifth with an average of 117,429 meters per match, above the league average of 115,572.
That season Barca pressed high and coupled intensity with ball control, staying competitive until the final minutes. Only Celta Vigo, Atletico Madrid, Girona and Espanyol beat them in this regard.
But in the first eight fixtures this season Barca dropped to fifteenth in distance per match, averaging 113,444 meters—roughly four kilometers less than last year and below the league average of 115,091.
The gap to rivals widened: Atletico Madrid leads with over 120,000 meters; Espanyol, Elche, and Celta Vigo also exceed 117,000 meters.
Barca meanwhile slid into the lower tier alongside Athletic Bilbao, Sevilla and Valencia. Real Madrid sits last for the second year running with 110,626 meters, despite their vertical style.
Punchline 1: Looks like Barca misplaced a few kilometers—somebody should file a missing-pace report at the training ground.
Punchline 2: If football runs on emotions, Flick just scored a goal in the heart department, while the stat sheet plays referee.
