Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has revealed that he spoke with his young star, Lamine Yamal, after the player unfurled a Palestinian flag from the team’s open-top bus during their recent La Liga and Spanish Super Cup victory parade. While the celebrations were filled with various flags and messages, Yamal’s display of the Palestinian flag garnered significant attention.
The parade featured numerous forms of expression, including Robert Lewandowski waving a Catalan independence flag (Estelada) and Yamal and Fermin Lopez sporting t-shirts that read “Thank God I’m not a Madridista.” However, it was Lamine Yamal’s prominent hoisting of a large Palestinian flag that became a focal point of discussion.
Flick’s Stance: A Preference for Focus on Football
When questioned about Yamal’s action, Flick indicated that he was not entirely comfortable with the political statement. He expressed a personal inclination for such events to remain focused on the team’s sporting achievements rather than political affiliations.
“This I normally don’t like,” Flick stated. “I spoke with him, and I said if he wants this, he is old enough, he is 18 years old, and it’s his decision. We are playing football, and you can see what the people expect from us. When I see the crowd, they were very emotional, tears in their eyes. They were really happy that we won again, this fantastic title, the second in a row, and this is why we are playing football.”
Flick went on to commend the team’s performance throughout the season, highlighting their resilience in the face of numerous injuries to key players like Lamine Yamal himself, Raphinha, Pedri, and Frenkie de Jong. He emphasized the team’s significant improvement in the latter part of the season, particularly in their defense, which he noted contributed to their success and resulted in the best goals against record.
A Recurring Symbol in La Liga
Lamine Yamal is not the first La Liga player to display the Palestinian flag this season. Supporters of Palestine have frequently been visible at Rayo Vallecano’s stadium. Additionally, following Villarreal’s Conference League semi-final victory, Ilias Akhomach, a Villarreal loanee, retrieved a Palestinian flag from the crowd and placed it in front of the celebrating Rayo players.
