Barcelona's appeal against Hansi Flick's sending off against Real Betis has been rejected, meaning he will be banned from the dugout in Sunday's meeting with Leganes.
Flick was shown a red card for allegedly shouting at the official during the 2-2 draw, but Barcelona appealed the two-game ban handed down to him by claiming that Flick was simply shouting at his players instead.
The Appeals Committee did not entertain this suggestions and will enforce Flick's suspension, meaning he will miss Barcelona's final two games of 2024.
"My reaction was clearly not exaggerated," Flick said after the appeal was rejected. "I tried to talk to Frenkie [de Jong]. There was a thing between Inigo [Martinez] and Vitor Roque.
"I don't want us to complain to the referees. I don't want to waste energy on this that we can't change. We have to accept the decisions.
Hansi Flick
Flick will miss the rest of 2024 / Soccrates Images/GettyImages
"It was a hard blow, but we have to accept it. Maybe I need to work on my behaviour. All I ask is that they always whistle the same way, in the same way. But we must play better. What I want, and they do, is not to complain to the referees.
"It's different from a few years ago. Our philosophy is to do what we can do. Also the referees can improve. They are human beings and they make mistakes."
Flick will now watch on from the stands as assistant Marcus Sorg takes direct charge from the touchline.
"We have good communication," Flick said of Sorg. "He has a lot of experience and he is doing very well here. He knows a lot about football and he has quality."
READ THE LATEST BARCELONA NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP