Flick unhappy with modern offside rule enforcement

Yesterday, Barcelona cruised to a 5-1 away victory over Mallorca in a rescheduled La Liga Round 19 match. During the game, Mallorca players were caught offside 11 times, but Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick expressed frustration with how the offside rule is applied in modern football.

Details: Flick criticized the practice of allowing play to continue in offside situations until the attack is completed, as instructed by recent referee guidelines. This often forces defenders to sprint back unnecessarily, even when the offside is blatant.

Quote:

"I don't care how many times Mallorca was offside. I never look at those numbers. What I don’t understand is when the offside is five meters obvious, but my players still have to run back, exhaust themselves, and it’s completely pointless.

I get that you shouldn’t stop play if the referee is unsure. But if it’s obvious, it makes no sense to me. I just can’t understand it."

Reminder: After the match, Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal shared the secret behind his pinpoint assists with the inside of his foot.