Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has abandoned his policy of dropping late players in favor of issuing “huge” financial fines, a move that has seemingly solved the team’s punctuality issues overnight.
Barcelona’s New Rule: Arrive Late, Lose €40,000 — And It’s Working
Earlier this season, Flick made headlines by benching high-profile stars like Raphinha and Marcus Rashford for arriving late on matchdays.
The German coach enforced a strict zero-tolerance rule, leaving any tardy player out of the starting lineup regardless of their status.
However, Flick admitted that the process created unnecessary stress for him personally and put him in a difficult position regarding team selection.
Speaking in a press conference on Friday, he revealed that after discussions with the team’s captains, he opted to change the punishment.
“For me, it was always stressful when I looked at my watch and it was maybe 60 or 45 seconds to go, and a player was not there,” Flick explained.
“I was always thinking: ‘Are they coming?’ So I decided to change it and spoke with the captains. I don’t like this pressure either because it doesn’t matter who it is, I had to say he will not play.”
Under the new system, players now face a significant financial penalty for lateness rather than a sporting one. First-team players Pedri and Ferran Torres have revealed that the fine amounts to approximately €40,000.
The impact has been immediate. According to Flick, the threat of losing such a large sum of money has ensured total compliance.
“The fine is huge, and until now, no one came one second too late,” Flick confirmed. “So I think it was the right decision.”
The change marks a shift from last season’s high-profile incidents involving Jules Koundé and Iñaki Peña, as well as the more recent benchings of Raphinha and Rashford.
Flick made the remarks ahead of his 100th game in charge of the Catalan giants, Saturday’s LaLiga clash with Villarreal at Spotify Camp Nou.
With 74 wins in his first 99 games, he trails only Luis Enrique for the best start by a Barca coach.
While acknowledging the milestone, Flick kept his focus on the bigger picture. A win against Villarreal would temporarily send Barcelona four points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the table.
“It is a great honor to reach this number,” he said.
“It was a dream to coach this club. But I never look at numbers. For me, it is about the number at the end of the season. When we are first, it’s perfect.”
