Barcelona started La Liga with a 3-0 win over Mallorca. Looks simple on the scoreboard, but that wasn’t the story. Referee José Luis Munuera Montero turned into the main character, a match filled with a disputed goal, two red cards people called excessive, and a tough tackle from Raphinha that many thought should’ve been a straight red. In the end, Hansi Flick’s team got the points, sure, but the bigger takeaway was the refereeing, and that’s what everyone’s going to talk about this week.
The incident that sparked the controversy
Barcelona’s opener came from Ferrán Torres while Mallorca’s Raíllo was still lying on the ground after taking the ball to the head. Coach Jagoba Arrasate later said the fourth official told Munuera Montero to stop the game, but play kept going and the goal stood. “The fourth official told him, right in front of me, to stop because it was a blow to the head. I thought the whistle had gone, then I realized it hadn’t,” Arrasate said. That moment lit the fuse — frustration on Mallorca’s side, protests on and off the pitch.
Before the break, things got worse. Two Mallorca players were sent off, decisions the staff and fans felt were over the top. That basically killed the game for them. And then came more frustration: Raphinha went in with a heavy challenge, only a yellow shown. The inconsistency in the referee’s calls became the biggest complaint and deepened the sense of imbalance.
Reactions from the managers
Hansi Flick tried to keep it balanced. He admitted he understood the frustration but reminded everyone his players only did what they should. “It was the referee’s decision and we have to accept it. If I were on the other side, I probably wouldn’t be happy either. But I tell my team, as long as the referee doesn’t stop play, we keep going,” he said. Even after a 3-0 win, he wasn’t fully satisfied. “It’s three important points, but I didn’t like the game. At 2-0 up, against nine men, the team played maybe at 50%, and I didn’t like that. We can do better. Playing half-speed against nine isn’t acceptable.”
Arrasate, on the other hand, showed all his frustration. Again, he went back to that first goal, insisting it changed everything. For him, if the referee had listened to the fourth official, the game would’ve gone in a completely different direction.