Barcelona coach Hansi Flick will be in the dugout for their Champions League opener at Newcastle United on Thursday after successfully appealing a one-match suspension that threatened to sideline him for his side’s opening European game this season.
The German manager and his assistant Marcus Sorg had been handed one-game bans by UEFA for their conduct during last season’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Inter Milan, where Barcelona were knocked out in extra time in a dramatic 4-3 defeat.
UEFA confirmed on Friday that Barcelona’s appeal had been partially upheld, allowing both coaches to take their places on the bench against Newcastle, though they will remain under the watchful eye of European football’s governing body for the next 12 months.
“Said suspension is suspended during a probationary period of one (1) year, starting from the date of the present decision,” UEFA said in a statement.
Flick had been furious at several refereeing decisions during May’s semi-final heartbreak that denied Barcelona their first Champions League final appearance in a decade, with his animated protests on the touchline ultimately landing him in hot water with UEFA’s disciplinary committee.
