FC Barcelona’s championship-winning coach, Hansi Flick, has distanced himself from his young star Lamine Yamal and his public support for Palestine during the Catalan team’s title celebrations.
«These are things that I normally don’t like,» said the former national coach, adding, «I spoke with him about it and told him: If he wants to do it, that’s his decision – after all, he is an adult.»
However, Flick implied that he was not enthusiastic about the gesture. «Our job is to play football, and we must always bear in mind what people expect from us,» he stated at the press conference before the match against Deportivo Alavés on Wednesday (9:30 PM). «When I see people on the street crying with emotion, you realize why we are here – and for me, that is precisely the most important thing,» Flick explained, «that has absolute priority.»
Yamal Waves Palestine Flag During Barcelona Parade
Yamal had waved a large Palestinian flag during the open-top bus parade through Barcelona. He also received a lot of praise online for this. Even Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez commented positively. He said his country had «recognized» the state of Palestine and reaffirmed its «right to exist.» Sánchez is considered one of the biggest critics of Israel in European politics.
Barcelona had prematurely secured the title with a 2-0 victory over arch-rivals Real Madrid in the Clásico on Sunday evening, with three matchdays remaining in the season. This was Flick’s second consecutive championship. Approximately 750,000 people reportedly attended the parade through the streets of Barcelona on Monday.
English Translation:
Championship-winning coach Hansi Flick of FC Barcelona has distanced himself from his young star Lamine Yamal and his public support for Palestine during the Catalans’ title celebrations.
«These are things that I normally don’t like,» said the former national coach, adding, «I spoke with him about it and told him: If he wants to do it, that’s his decision – after all, he is an adult.»
However, Flick let it be known that he was not thrilled with the action. «Our job is to play football, and we must always keep in mind what people expect from us,» he said at the press conference before the match against Deportivo Alavés on Wednesday (9:30 PM). «When I see people on the street crying with emotion, you realize why we are here – and for me, that is precisely the most important thing,» Flick explained, «that has absolute priority.»
Yamal Waves Palestine Flag During Barcelona Parade
Yamal had waved a large Palestinian flag during the open-top team bus parade through Barcelona. He received a lot of praise online for it. Even Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez commented positively. He said his country had «recognized» the state of Palestine and reaffirmed its «right to exist.» Sánchez is considered one of the biggest critics of Israel in European politics.
Barcelona had secured the title prematurely with a 2-0 victory in the Clásico against arch-rivals Real Madrid on Sunday evening, three matchdays before the end of the season – it was Flick’s second consecutive championship. Around 750,000 people reportedly attended the parade on Monday through the streets of Barcelona.