""Frenkie [de Jong] was there and I said [while clapping] 'OK come on Frenkie,'" Flick explained in the post-match news conference. "It was not a reaction for the referee.""
""It was against no one," he said. "Maybe it was about our game, the performance we made. I never go against anyone. For me, it's football. It's emotion. I also say nothing about the referee. It's his decision. I accept it. It's not against him, the clapping the hands.""
""I tried to say something to him, but he didn't speak with me," he added. "It's like that. It's OK. He goes his way. I accept it. He's the referee.""
Hansi Flick was sent off in stoppage time after appearing to clap at referee Jesús Gil Manzano and received a second yellow for his reaction. The dismissal could trigger a touchline ban for next weekend's Clásico with Real Madrid and might be extended if his post-goal celebration after Ronald Araújo's 93rd-minute winner is deemed punishable. Flick said the clapping and his subsequent arm gesture were not aimed at the referee or anyone, described them as emotional reactions to the team's performance, and said he accepts the referee's decision. Flick said he tried to speak with Gil Manzano but the referee did not engage. Barcelona had lost their previous two matches but started Saturday's Catalan derby well.
Read at ESPN.com
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