Barcelona coach Hansi Flick insisted none of his gestures in Saturday's dramatic 2-1 LaLiga win against Girona were aimed at the referee after he was sent off in a heated finale.
Flick received a yellow card in stoppage time after appearing to clap at match official Jesús Gil Manzano and was then immediately shown a second booking for his reaction to the caution.
"Frenkie [de Jong] was there and I said [while clapping] 'OK come on Frenkie,'" Flick explained in the post-match news conference.
"It was not a reaction for the referee."
As a result of being dismissed, Flick is likely to have to serve a touchline ban for next weekend's top-of-the-table Clásico against Real Madrid .
He could be set for an even longer ban, though, if his celebration after Ronald Araújo's 93rd-minute wi