Under Hansi Flick’s leadership, Barcelona has returned to the La Liga championship race. The Blaugrana, who are currently only two points behind Real Madrid, took advantage of the draw in the Madrid derby by defeating Sevilla handily in a hotly contested game. Barcelona’s chances of winning the championship are once again in their own hands, as they are within striking distance of the title. The game was fiercely contested at times, with the first half ending in a draw, even though the Andalusian team won by a considerable final score.

Referee Hernández Hernández gave Fermín a red card in the 62nd minute after consulting VAR, sparking a contentious incident that threatened to undo the Catalans’ solid start to the second half. Barcelona needed to take a two-goal lead with 30 minutes left, and despite questions surrounding the referee’s call, Flick’s team played well in response. Like in Mestalla, when parts of the visiting supporters were also empty by the end of the game, they gave up no dangerous opportunities to a frustrated Sevilla, which ultimately led some fans at Sánchez Pizjuán to depart the stadium early.

Despite the Blaugrana’s happy ending to the evening, a number of players expressed their worries about Fermín’s red card. “Today I told the referee that the other day I received a worse challenge and it wasn’t red,” Pedri said candidly in his post-match remarks to TV3. It’s beyond my comprehension.

However, it is them who notice it. They should always issue a red card if they do. The ‘8’ was a reference to a recent Copa del Rey match in which Hugo Guillamón challenged, but it wasn’t even good enough to earn a yellow card. VAR did not reverse the call, but video replays made it clear. Gavi, meanwhile, compared Fermín López’s dismissal to Ceballos’ tackle on Barrios in the most recent Madrid derby, which was probably more serious but did not result in a red card: “The incident in the Madrid derbies yesterday was quite obvious, much like this one.

They could have easily flashed a yellow card instead of the red one they gave out today. He added that because Flick was quite upset and had already been given a yellow card, his substitution at halftime had been prearranged with him. He continued, “Everyone knows that referees don’t hold back with me.” It is obvious that the ongoing referee disputes are far from resolved and will only get worse over the next few weeks.