When Barcelona take on Real Madrid in the first El Clásico of the season, Hansi Flick will not be on the touchline for the defending Spanish champions.
The Catalans close out October with a trip to the Santiago Bernabéu. The pressure is on Barcelona to deliver a statement victory against their bitter rivals to turn the corner in what has been an otherwise lackluster start to their 2025–26 campaign.
Should Barcelona walk away with three points and extend their winning streak to five matches against Real Madrid, they will reclaim first place in La Liga with a favorable string of league matches coming in November.
Yet the Spanish giants will be led by assistant manager Marcus Sorg for the all-important fixture instead of Flick.
Why Hansi Flick Is Not on the Touchline in El Clasico
Flick is banned from the first El Clásico of the season after the German saw red last weekend at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.
Referee Jesús Gil Manzano brandished two yellow cards within seconds of one another at the Barcelona boss after Flick took issue with the amount of stoppage time allotted against Girona. The 60-year-old’s furious reaction earned him a red card.
Barcelona went on to secure a 2–1 victory in the Catalan derby, but at the cost of losing their manager against Real Madrid.
The club appealed the booking, but its claim of discrepancies in the referee’s match report were rebuffed by the Administrative Court for Sport (TAD), who found that “any evidence that could disprove that the facts reflected in the referee’s report were not committed.”
Since the red card was issued in La Liga, Flick’s one-game ban only applies to the Spanish top-flight, which is why he was allowed to be on the touchline for Barcelona’s 6–1 win over Olympiacos on Tuesday night.
Come Sunday, though, Barcelona will be without their leader for the biggest game of the early 2025–26 season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Hansi Flick Is Not on the Touchline for El Clasico.