The Barcelona press vents after the failure in the Champions League: 'Mafioso arbitration, poorly concealed'

Barcelona was eliminated and repeated the history of the last five years in the Champions League: he showed one of the worst images on the field of play and bordered on humiliation on a European night, remembering the ghosts of Rome, Liverpool and Bayern Munich.

Those led by the DT Xavi Hernandez they said goodbye to the Champions League in the quarterfinals, after winning the first leg 2-3 and losing catastrophically 1-4 at the Montjuic Olympic stadium.

Everything changed in the 29th minute, when the Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs decided to show the Uruguayan Ronald Araujo a direct red card for a foul on boatthis action changed everything, it was the beginning of the Catalan collapse and the Barcelona press attacked the judge with everything.

Suspicious refereeing favorable to the favorite Uefa team. Only the epic card remained, against PSG and against mafia arbitration

“Suspicious arbitration favorable to Uefa's favorite team. The French team, one of UEFA's favorites, boosted by suspicious arbitration. Only the epic card remained, against PSG and against mafia arbitration,” they begin by saying.

“What happened last night was no coincidence. Kovacs hid it poorly due to his enthusiastic attitude of unsheathing the red to Araujo on the first occasion that arose to fulfill the assignment from 'higher up'. Clearer, the water,” they wrote in Mundo Deportivo.

“Uefa took its toll on Barcelona for his flirtations and whims with the European Super League and, as a tip, for the still unpunished scandal of Enríquez Negreira,” added the aforementioned media.

The Catalans pointed out the referee and accused 'several refereeing errors' that defined the Champions League tie. “PSG benefited from both the Blaugrana's mistakes and the referee, who was very rigorous when it came to sending off the Uruguayan centre-back,” said Sport.

“The performance of the Romanian Istvan Kovacs in Montjuïc left a lot to be desired and it was a determining factor for the comeback of the French, who also had some help in the first leg at the Parc des Princes. There is a lot of anger in the locker room and they clearly feel hurt by the refereeing,” he said. Sports world.

The coach did not give a penalty from Vitinha to Gündogan and at the end of the game he would distribute yellows and reds left and right

And they added: “The braid did not call a penalty from Vitinha to Gündogan and at the end of the game he would distribute yellows and reds left and right, “making merits before Al Khelaïfi, the true head of the European organization”.

The Barcelona media also recalled episodes from the first leg in which they called for a penalty for an alleged foul on Ilkay Gundogan and pointed out that Vithina deserved the red card.

“The Portuguese Vitinha had to be sent off for a double yellow, but the English Anthony Taylor He forgave the red one. The midfielder should not have played in Montjuic and it was key with the 1-2 goal,” they noted.

And they added that “the German midfielder (Gundogan) was knocked down by Vitinha inside the area and the referee did not call a penalty. Despite the theoretical review of the VAR, the referee maintained his decision not to signal the maximum penalty

Coach Xavi Hernandez He was no stranger to criticism and from his place he charged against the Romanian judge: “We are not having luck in the arbitration decisions. Since I have been here everything has turned out tails. Everything. I don't know what explanation they will have, but it is true that it has turned out for us. everything backwards, that is the reality. I told him that it was very bad, that it was a disaster, That expulsion changes everything. He marks the tie so much that we have to say it,” he said at the end of the match.

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