De Jong Critiques Referee After Barcelona’s Defeat to Real Sociedad

Frenkie de Jong, the Barcelona midfielder, voiced his displeasure regarding referee Jesús Gil Manzano’s perceived arrogance after the LaLiga leaders’ 11-match winning streak came to an end with a 2-1 defeat against Real Sociedad on Sunday.

Mikel Oyarzabal and Gonçalo Guedes scored for La Real, sandwiching a header from Marcus Rashford, resulting in a victory that narrowed Barcelona’s lead over Real Madrid to just one point. The match left Barça questioning Manzano’s decision to disallow a first-half goal by Lamine Yamal due to offside, but de Jong, as the team captain, was particularly incensed by the referee’s demeanor.

“If it’s given offside, it’s offside,” de Jong stated to reporters post-match. “I have not seen the incident, but we’ve been informed it was not offside. What frustrates me is that you can’t even converse with the referee. I don’t understand it at all, and as captain, I tried to engage him, yet he looked at me as if he were superior. It’s incredibly frustrating; such behavior is unacceptable.”

De Jong also criticized the amount of added time, noting that Manzano ended the match immediately after the nine minutes had elapsed. “During added time, I mentioned to the referee to monitor the duration, as Sociedad took ample time for throw-ins and goal kicks, which is expected. However, to not add even ten more seconds seems absurd to me,” he remarked. “When I brought this to the referee’s attention, he booked me. Clearly, you cannot communicate with this official.”

In a rare show of support for de Jong’s comments, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick, typically reluctant to criticize referees, acknowledged the validity of his captain’s frustrations. “I heard what Frenkie said, and he is correct. However, I prefer not to expend energy on this referee. Everyone in the stadium and watching on television saw how he officiated. We must accept it as it is,” Flick remarked.

When asked if he perceived Gil Manzano as arrogant, Flick responded, “Everyone is aware of that, and I noticed comments about it before the match. I generally speak highly of the referees, as we have competent officials in LaLiga. But Frenkie is right. We must accept this situation even if it’s unpleasant.”

On a rainy evening in San Sebastián, Barcelona lamented their missed chances as their winning streak ended, concluding the match with an expected goals (xG) statistic of 3.69. They struck the woodwork four times and had three goals disallowed—two for offside and one for a foul in the buildup—ultimately managing only Rashford’s 70th-minute equalizer.

Oyarzabal had given La Real an early lead, and Guedes secured victory just one minute after Rashford’s goal, maintaining the home team’s unbeaten streak under new American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo. “What a game it was!” Matarazzo exclaimed post-match. “To win against Barcelona, you must be incredibly active and intense for the full 90 minutes. We were fortunate today, and our goalkeeper Alex Ramiro was fantastic. The heart our players showed on the pitch was exceptional. After we conceded the equalizer, we immediately responded to score the winning goal. We defended with everything we had, showcasing our character.”

Carlos Soler was sent off late in the match for a high challenge on Pedri, but Barcelona was unable to find a second equalizer. Flick expressed disappointment over the loss yet attempted to maintain a positive perspective. “I’m not happy; I’m disappointed we lost. However, I appreciate the manner in which we played. It’s preferable to create chances without worrying too much about how we score. We’ve played well recently, and we must continue this approach without dwelling on the referee’s decisions. I told the team that we played well; sometimes, luck does not favor you, and this was one such day. We must now focus on our next match, as we play every three days.”

Flick acknowledged areas for improvement ahead of their upcoming Champions League match against Slavia Prague, noting his frustration with the team’s defensive lapse immediately following their equalizer. “We need to defend better, particularly right after scoring the 1-1. Although we were in a positive frame of mind and playing well, conceding that goal was a setback. We must be vigilant defensively and improve our response to such situations. We will work on this.”