Laporta: Flick is also a human being, and it is normal to react like that when emotions are high

Barcelona President Joan Laporta participated in a discussion on sports and geopolitics at the "World Progress Forum: A Secure Future" on Tuesday morning, ahead of Barcelona's match against Olympiacos at the Olympic Stadium in Montjuic later in the day.

In the discussion speech, Laporta talked about the issue of Flick being suspended by the referee for two consecutive yellow cards in the recent La Liga match against Girona, which will prevent him from commanding the team at the Bernabeu Stadium.

"Flick is a very serious person, he plans everything carefully, but at the same time he also has special emotions, which can be seen from his attitude towards the players."

"Flick felt worried and upset afterwards because he usually does not react like that, but we can understand it in that situation. Sometimes the referee's decision can lead to disagreements, especially when emotions are running high. ."

"Football is full of passion and emotion. He is human and it is normal to have such a reaction. He regretted it afterwards, but it is part of football and there was no aggressive behavior and there was no malice."

"The referee was wrong to wait for our coach to react. It was at that moment that Flick could have been sent off. It doesn't matter anymore, it's all in the past. "

Regarding the role of geopolitics in football, Laporta emphasized Barcelona's core values, which still exist more than 125 years later: "In 2025, we can still be 'more than just a club.' We are a global club while remaining true to the essence of our founding, the idea of being 'more than just a club', proud of our Catalan roots but also able to tolerate and understand all forms of Barçaism. Born in Barcelona, the club quickly became Catalan and then respected throughout Europe, Spain and the world. "

With a few months to go before Barcelona's presidential election, Laporta expressed some views on how to run Barcelona. "Barcelona is an institution that cannot be measured by purely commercial standards. It is more complex. Barcelona needs to be managed soundly in the way of corporate operations, but it cannot be separated from sports and social issues. Managing all this is complicated and requires a series of business standards, but they must coexist perfectly."