Barcelona failed to extend their lead at the top of the La Liga table as they lost 2-1 to Real Sociedad at home on January 19, 2026. They are now just one point ahead of Real Madrid in the La Liga table after Los Blancos won their match against Levante on Saturday.
Following the match, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick tore into match referee Gil Manzano for his attitude in the game and the decisions he made throughout the game. The manager wasn't the only one who was unhappy with the referee. Midfielder Frenkie De Jong also criticised the referee in the post-match interview and shared that it was impossible to even try to talk to him.
The manager claimed that the league have many good referees, but then there is Gill, who is never ready to listen to anything, and if pestered twice, is always ready to show a card to the players. Hansi Flick agreed with De Jong's comments about Gill and said that everybody saw what the referee did in the match.
? Hansi Flick on the game against Real Sociedad pic.twitter.com/YEXZAOs98h
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 19, 2026
Hansi Flick shared, "We have to defend better. It was clear in the second goal. That goal killed us. La Liga have good referees, then there's this guy. I don't want to waste more energy speaking on this guy. I was reading some comments before the match, and everyone knows how he is. Everyone saw what he did tonight. Frenkie said he was arrogant, and he was right."
Speaking to the media, De Jong shared that the referee was unapproachable on the pitch. Additionally, he accused Gill of having an attitude and not speaking properly to players, despite De Jong trying to talk as the team captain.
?️ Frenkie de Jong: "No puedes ni hablar con el árbitro y soy el capitán. Me mira con una cara como que soy más que tú"#LALIGAenDAZN ⚽ pic.twitter.com/nMNlCrRbYR
— DAZN España (@DAZN_ES) January 18, 2026
Frenkie De Jong shared, "The only thing I can say is that you can’t talk to this referee. I’m the captain, and I don’t understand it. He looks at me with a face like, ‘I’m better than you.’ It’s frustrating. He can’t behave like that. At the end of the game, I was saying to the ref, look for the time, give us more time, add time, and he didn’t. He blew the whistle after nine minutes, and that seems crazy to me. I said this to him, and he showed me a card. You can’t talk to his referee."
Gil Manzano had refereed one match earlier this season involving Barcelona, where the Catalan team defeated Girona 2-1 in the La Liga.
