FC Barcelona won 3-2 against Levante in their second game in La Liga this season, but there was more controversy involving the referees. This time, Barcelona were the victims as they conceded a penalty due to a handball by Alejandro Balde.
The replay shows the ball impacting Balde’s arms, but the left-back does not appear to have his arm flared out, which would lead to a clear penalty.
VAR decided to advise the referee, Alejandro Hernandez, to check the play, and the official decided to give the penalty for Levante, which led to their 2-0 lead at halftime.
Barcelona fans online were furious with the decision, along with the players. Former referee Mateu Lahoz also believed the referee made a mistake in calling the play a penalty. Lahoz said, “It’s not a penalty, Balde can’t pull his hand out.”
Many were confused about the decision, and when Hansi Flick was asked about it, the German coach remained calm.
Hansi Flick Accepts Penalty Decision
When asked about the penalty against Barcelona in the first half, Hansi Flick did not want to challenge the referee and their decision that almost cost the team points.
Flick mentions that he doesn’t know if the penalty was clear, but says that he respects the decision.
Hansi Flick: “We have to accept it… For me, it’s important that we go home to Barcelona with three points; this is the most important thing…I don’t know if it’s clear…At the end, he decided, and we have to accept it.”
Pedri was confused about the penalty as well, as he referred to a controversial play against Real Madrid last season involving the ball hitting Aurelien Tchouameni’s arm in the box.
The midfielder believes the Real Madrid player’s handball was more of a penalty than Balde’s handball today.
Pedri: “Honestly, I don’t know, a short while ago, they gave us a lecture at the federation about handballs, and for example, Tchouaméni’s handball from last season was, for me, a clear handball, while this one, for me, wasn’t, yet they called it.”
