A night of frustration at the Estadi Montilivi

The Catalan derby was billed as a pivotal moment in the title race, but it ended in scenes of pure exasperation for the visitors. Barcelona appeared to be in control after Pau Cubarsi opened the scoring, yet the game flipped on its head during a frantic second half. The breaking point arrived in the 86th minute when Fran Beltran found the net for Girona. Barcelona players immediately surrounded referee Cesar Soto Grado, claiming that Claudio Echeverri had stepped on Jules Kounde’s foot in the build-up.

Despite the frantic protests and the clear impact on the play, the goal was allowed to stand without a trip to the VAR monitor. The decision left the Barcelona bench incensed and the players visibly demoralised. For a team that has been near-perfect under Flick this season, the collapse felt less like a tactical failure and more like a consequence of external factors, setting the stage for a week of intense scrutiny over the standard of refereeing in the Spanish top flight.

Flick’s frustration and Raphinha’s social media blast

In the immediate aftermath, manager Hansi Flick attempted to maintain a level of professional decorum, though he could not hide his disbelief. While he criticised his team’s defensive positioning and “open” midfield, he pointedly asked reporters: “What do you think? A foul, right? No need to say anything more.” Flick granted his squad two days off to “reset” from the emotional toll of the defeat, hoping to prevent the controversy from derailing their season entirely.

However, Brazilian winger Raphinha was far less reserved than his manager. Taking to Instagram to address the officiating landscape, the former Leeds United man acknowledged internal flaws but hit out at the lack of consistency. “Well, we have many things to improve, but not just us,” he wrote. “It’s very complicated when the rules are different, whether they’re in your favour or against you, but if we have to play against everyone to win, so be it… We’ll do it..”

Barcelona hierarchy takes a stand against RFEF

The anger emanating from the dressing room has been matched by a firm response from the club’s boardroom. Barcelona’s leadership has reportedly reached a ‘boiling point’ regarding a perceived lack of transparency from the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA). Rafa Yuste, who has stepped up from his vice-president role to take full control of the club while the election campaign is running, has already made contact with Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) officials to express the club’s formal grievance over the accumulation of errors that have directly impacted recent results.

The club is particularly concerned with the ‘black and white’ application of VAR in certain matches compared to the subjective leniency shown in others. By adopting this institutional pushback, Barcelona are signalling that they will no longer remain silent while their title ambitions are being undermined. This ‘siege mentality’ is beginning to define the second half of their campaign, as the board seeks to protect the players from what they describe as an uneven playing field.”

A pattern of grievances in the Catalan capital

The controversy at Girona did not happen in a vacuum; it is the latest chapter in a mounting list of complaints for the Blaugrana. Just days earlier, the club were left stunned during a 4-0 Copa del Rey defeat to Atletico Madrid, where a Cubarsi goal was chalked off following a VAR review that lasted an agonising seven minutes. That delay, coupled with an unpunished encroachment by Bryan Gil during a Lamine Yamal penalty miss against Girona, has fostered a belief that officiating standards are at an all-time low.

As they prepare to host Levante this Sunday, the pressure on the officials will be immense. Barcelona now find themselves in a position where every whistle is viewed through the lens of Raphinha’s ‘different rules’ claim. Whether this bunker mentality will serve as the fuel for a historic title charge or become a fatal distraction remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the war of words between Barcelona and the Spanish officiating bodies is only just beginning.