Barcelona finds itself on top of La Liga with a four-point cushion, just days away from the UEFA Champions League semi-final showdown with Inter, and amid a hectic run of nine matches in 30 days. But while the team pushes for domestic and European glory, its manager, Hansi Flick, has found himself embroiled in a fiery dispute—not with a rival manager, but with La Liga’s fixture makers.
And it’s not the first time he’s lost his cool about it. In fact, just a few weeks ago, Flick dismissed similar complaints from Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti, brushing off the issue with a sharp quip that Barcelona don’t make excuses. Now, the German appears to have had a dramatic change of heart.
It all began with a controversial fixture shuffle in March, when Barca’s match against Osasuna was hastily rescheduled to March 27, a mere 48 hours after the international break. The club had hoped for a later date, especially given the emotional strain following the death of club doctor Carles Minarro Garcia, but La Liga rejected their appeal. The revised schedule left Barcelona with just 65 hours before facing Girona, and soon after, a Copa del Rey semi-final against Atletico Madrid.
Despite the obvious toll on his players, Flick initially remained stoic. “We are Barca, not Real Madrid. And I’m very proud that we are Barca. It’s not the best situation, but we’re not making excuses. The team is ready, and we have to go for it,” he said at the time.
When Ancelotti voiced similar concerns over a tight turnaround between a Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid and a league game just under 72 hours later, Flick appeared to mock the Madrid manager. “We are Barca, not Real Madrid. And I’m very proud that we are Barca,” he declared defiantly.
‘It’s a joke’: Flick’s explosive press conference rant
Fast forward to mid-April, and it seems Flick has changed his tune. On the eve of Barcelona’s La Liga clash against Celta Vigo, the German manager unleashed a furious tirade at the fixture calendar, questioning the league’s treatment of clubs still active in Europe.
“Do you know how many matches we have played in recent weeks? And then we play late against Valladolid? We arrive very late, maybe the players are in their beds at four or five in the morning. I don’t want to make excuses. But it happens here, and I’ve never had this before,” he vented. “Every league protects their clubs in the Champions League, and especially in the semi-final—it’s unbelievable.”
Flick’s rage was triggered by the decision to schedule Barca’s away game against Real Valladolid at 9:00 PM local time, just three days before the Champions League semi-final second leg against Inter Milan. With little time to rest and travel recovery often spilling into the early hours, the experienced German was incensed.
“Why can we not play at 18:00 [6:00 PM] in the evening? Give me one reason. I want to see this guy that decides it, who is responsible for it. For me, it’s a joke. I think it’s also bad for Spanish football. If we are successful—and the other teams in the Europa League—it’s good for Spanish football. Then we have one more team that can play in the Champions League. I am speechless.”
European context, domestic ignorance
The German boss went on to highlight how other leagues offer more support to their continental representatives. “Every Federation—the Bundesliga, Premier League—takes care of their clubs, but we don’t do it here. It’s just, ‘Ah, let them play, they can come back at five or six o’clock.’”
His frustration was not limited to just this instance. Flick recalled past experiences of traveling back from Leganes and Dortmund in the dead of night, leaving players with minimal rest. “It’s to do with recovery for the players. I am not happy with this,” the 60-year-old boss insisted.
