Sunday, 15 February 2026
Saturday, 14 February 2026
BARCELONA PLAYERS FIRE BACK AT HEAD COACH HANSI FLICK IN TENSE TRAINING GROUD MEETING AFTER ATLETICO MADRID DEBACLE
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| Getty |
Barcelona's players shared their concerns with manager Hansi Flick about his tactics in the wake of their 4-0 thrashing by Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey. The result leaves the Blaugrana with a mountain to climb ahead of the second leg of the tie at Camp Nou in March, and the players have called on the manager to make changes to his system.
Barcelona battered by Atletico
Barcelona have been in impressive form again this season under Hansi Flick, topping the table in La Liga, qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League and beating Real Madrid to lift the Spanish Super Cup in January. However, their hopes of retaining the Copa del Rey unravelled on Thursday night as they were beaten 4-0 by Atletico in the first leg of their semi-final. Diego Simeone's side ruthlessly exposed Flick's infamous high line and gave the Catalans a tough time. A difficult night for the club was compounded by a Pau Cubarsi goal being ruled out for offside after an eight-minute VAR delay, while Eric Garcia was sent off late on as Flick's side finished the game with 10 men.
Tension on the training ground
The result led to some soul searching on the training ground the following day, according to The Athletic. Flick had his say and questioned the players' mentality and intensity, while there was also criticism of the coach. Barcelona stars revealed their concerns to their manager about his tactics, claiming his high line "was not the best idea, as conditions were not right for that in their eyes". The players feel it's incredibly hard to apply his style when key players such as Raphinha and Pedri are absent. Both players were ruled out of the match due to injury and were badly missed by Flick's side. While Barcelona's players do not want to abandon Flick's approach, they do want "more pragmatism around key games and against certain opponents, as well as greater adaptation to the players available".
Flick admits Barca taught a lesson
Flick spoke about his team's defeat after the game and admitted Barca had been taught a lesson by Atletico. He told reporters: "We didn't play very good in the first half as a team. We had too much distance between everyone. We didn't press how we wanted. In the first 45 minutes or more, we got a lesson. Sometimes it's good in the right moment. Maybe today was the right moment. I am still proud of my team, maybe not today in the first 45 minutes, but across the whole season. When you see how many injuries we have all season, how we adapt...Today was a heavy loss but I am proud of my team. We will come back. We need to start from the beginning [of games]. When you see Atlético players, they had more will, more hunger. And this is what I want from the first minute. We didn't show that in the first half. We have the second leg. We will fight for that. If we are able to win each half 2-0, this is our goal. We need our fans in Camp Nou and we will see what happens."
Controversy over disallowed goal
Barcelona have also been left furious by the decision to disallow Cubarsi's goal after a farcically long VAR delay. The defender netted early in the second half and his strike would have made it 4-1, giving Barca hope of trying to find a way back into the game. The lengthy delay was due to the failure of the semi-automated offside technology, forcing VAR officials to draw the lines manually. Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong did not hold back in his criticism of the situation. He said: "In the offside photo, you can't even see the contact with the ball at the moment Fermin shoots. Later, another image came out where it was clear the defender was a meter behind Lewandowski. This is very strange, it’s a scandal."
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| Getty Images Sports |
What comes next?
The second leg of the tie is not due to take place until March 3, giving Flick plenty of time to get his injured players back. In the meantime, the German coach will hope to see a response from his players on Monday when they resume their title challenge away at Girona.
- Gill Clark
MERCEDES-AMGS LOCK OUT TOP 3 ON BATHURST GRID
STM’s Cam Waters grabs Bathurst 12H pole as Mercedes-AMG teams lock out top three…
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| Photo: Gruppe C Photography/SRO |
Mercedes-AMG teams annexed the top three positions on the grid for this weekend’s Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour, as Cam Waters topped the Pirelli Pole Battle to put the No. 222 Scott Taylor Motorsport car on pole position for the Australian enduro.
Having led the way in the final practice session and the first segment of qualifying earlier on Saturday, Waters continued his form as he set a best lap of 2:01.079 in the 15-minute session that decided the top ten grid spots for the Intercontinental GT Challenge opener.
That lap initially put the No. 222 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo more than three tenths up on the field, but Lucas Auer — the only driver to have made it to the Pole Battle from Q1 — cut the deficit to 0.177 seconds to grab second on the grid for Craft-Bamboo Racing.
Luca Stolz put the 75 Express Mercedes-AMG third with a lap 0.215 seconds off the pace, with a last-ditch attempt to improve on that time not bearing fruit.
Best of the rest behind the Mercedes-AMGs was the No. 911 Absolute Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R as Matt Campbell left it late to jump to fourth ahead of the Jamec Racing/Team MPC Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II driven by Christopher Haase.
Wall Racing’s Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2, which was already confirmed as the Bronze class pole winner heading into the session, was sixth in the hands of Marco Mapelli ahead of Raffaele Marciello in the No. 46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO.
Rounding off the top ten order were Scott Andrews in the No. 44 Tigani Motorsport Mercedes-AMG, the only Pro-Am car to make the Pole Battle, the HRT Ford Mustang GT3 of Broc Feeney and Jayden Ojeda in the No. 6 Tigani machine.
The Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour is scheduled to begin Sunday 5:45 a.m. local time (Saturday 1:45 p.m. ET).
- Jamie Klein
Friday, 13 February 2026
PEP GUARDIOLA SAYS TREATMENT OF IMMIGRANTS A 'BIG PROBLEM' AFTER SIR JIM RATCLIFFE CONTROVERSY
The Man City boss has spoken out following controversial comments from Man Utd’s co-owner
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| ‘BIG PROBLEM’: PEP GUARDIOLA CALLED ON PEOPLE TO ‘EMBRACE OTHER CULTURES’ |
Pep Guardiola has called for people to “embrace other cultures” to make a “better society” in light of controversial comments from Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe about immigration.
Ratcliffe this week sparked controversy by claiming the UK had been “colonised” by immigrants.
The Red Devils minority owner has since apologised for offending “some people” with his “choice of language”, which Guardiola acknowledged, but the Manchester City manager expressed that he feels the wider issue of how countries treat immigrants remains a “big problem”.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday ahead of his side’s FA Cup clash with Salford City, Guardiola said: “I have a huge appreciation for Sir Jim. I was fortunate to meet him. He made a statement after to apologise.
“I’m not commenting on what Sir Jim Ratcliffe said because after that he said what exactly he wanted to say, but all around the world the problem that we have in all the countries [is that] we treat immigrants or people who come from other countries as the problem for problems that our countries have and it is a big, big, big, big, big problem.
He continued: “The fact that I am a Catalan and you are British – what influence did we have on where we were born? It was mum and dad.
“Everybody wants to have a better life and a perspective to have a better future for themselves, their families and their friends, and sometimes opportunities come in the place where you are born and the place that maybe you go.
“Before it was so difficult to travel, but today in one hour you can be everywhere. Today the colour of the skin or where you were born doesn’t make a difference. We have a lot of work to do about that.
“It doesn’t make me feel that because I am Catalan I am better than you. My education when I was born and travelled in Mexico and Qatar or lived in Italy or England or Germany, that is just the benefit of my personality.
“I met incredibly nice people travelling and that is what it is about, but it doesn’t make me feel better just for the fact I was born in one place or the other one. Most people are running away from countries because of problems in their countries, not because they want to leave. As much as we embrace other cultures – truly, truly embrace it – that will be a better society.”
Ratcliffe’s comments in a Sky News interview on Wednesday drew criticism from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, among other political leaders.
It is understood that Ratcliffe’s claims will also be examined by the Football Association to see whether they brought the game into disrepute, while on Thursday afternoon United issued a statement saying the club take pride in being “inclusive and welcoming”.
It read: “Our diverse group of players, staff and global community of supporters, reflect the history and heritage of Manchester; a city that anyone can call home.
“Since launching All Red All Equal in 2016, we have embedded equality, diversity and inclusion into everything we do.
“We remain deeply committed to the principles and spirit of that campaign.”
In an apology issued earlier that day, Ratcliffe had said: “I am sorry that my choice of language has offended some people in the UK and Europe and caused concern, but it is important to raise the issue of controlled and well-managed immigration that supports economic growth.”
- ALEX DAKERS
SEX BETWEEN ATHLETICS IS MORE COMMON | SUSEN TIEDTKE
Susen Tiedtke, former German long jump athlete, explained that sexual relations at the Olympic Games are something natural because of the unique context in the Olympic Village.
According to her, athletes arrive after years of discipline and extreme pressure, and when they finish competing they experience a very strong emotional release.
On top of that, they are in peak physical condition, with high levels of adrenaline and hormones activated by the competition.
In addition, thousands of young athletes live together in the same place, far from their usual routine, sharing celebrations and an atmosphere of euphoria that encourages intimate connections.
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