Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez expressed his extreme anger at the referee of his team’s match against Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, and considered it a reason for the Blaugrana’s exclusion from the competition.
Romanian referee Istvian Kovac sent off Ronald Araujo in the first half after he obstructed Barcola, and in the second half he awarded a penalty kick for Paris Saint-Germain and sent Xavi off for dissent.
In the end, PSG succeeded in achieving a 4-1 win and qualifying for the semi-finals to set up a date with Borussia Dortmund after the German club won 4-2 over Atletico Madrid.
Xavi spoke to the media after the match, saying, “What happened was a shame. This referee wasted all our efforts this season. I wanted us to play 11 against 11 fairly.”
He also added, “It doesn’t matter to talk. The reality is that the red card ruined the match. I don’t like to talk a lot about the referees, but I really can’t be silent now.”
He continued, “I clearly told the referee that it was a disaster, and that is why I received the expulsion.”
He concluded, “What really happened is very painful. We feel that we deserved to qualify. We were controlling the ball and we were fully equipped. What happened is unbelievable.”
