Barcelona manager Hansi Flick urges players to steer clear of arguments with referees

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick (59) urged his players to avoid "disrespectful" conduct towards match officials following the incident in which Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham received a straight red card for disputing a decision during their 1-1 draw against Osasuna.

After the match on Saturday, Bellingham stated that he had not insulted the referee and characterized the incident as a misunderstanding. On Sunday, he took to social media to express his regret for "putting my teammates in such a difficult situation."

In remarks made prior to Barcelona's home match against Rayo Vallecano on Monday, Flick emphasized the necessity for his team to steer clear of confrontations with match officials.

"It's disrespect. For me, it's like that. But I don't have to decide (the punishments)," he told a press conference on Sunday.

"I don't like this behaviour and I said this today to my players because it's very important. It is not good for the team when you do this and get the red card. It's a weakness and we don't like that.

"We have one person on the pitch who is allowed to discuss with the referee and that is the captain. We have to accept that."

Third-placed Barca can return to the top of LaLiga with a win over Rayo later on Monday.