Barcelona players and former club officials don dey pour out their anger after dem crash out of Champions League quarter-final to Atletico Madrid. The whole matter don turn to serious controversy as dem dey accuse referees and UEFA of robbing dem for the match.
Raphinha, the Brazilian winger wey no play because of injury, follow the team go Metropolitano stadium to support. After the match, he come dey vex wella. “Na stolen match be this,” Raphinha yarn. “The officiating na pure rubbish. The decisions wey dem take na something else.”
The player come add say Atletico Madrid players do plenty fouls but referee no show dem yellow card. “Atletico do I no know how many fouls but dem no see any yellow card. I wan understand say na real fear of Barcelona winning dey worry dem,” Raphinha talk.
But Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso respond to Raphinha’s claims. “You no fit talk say na robbery,” Musso talk. “I understand wetin Raphinha dey talk, wetin anybody fit talk, but make we no dey yarn say na robbery because e no be so. We win am inside the pitch.”
Jota Jordi, one Barcelona analyst, don carry the matter go social media. He post messages like “UEFA cheaters” and “This na Ceferin’s UEFA, the friend of Florentino, the one wey no blow two penalties, expel two Barcelona players and no expel Koke.”
The analyst share posts wey dem dey call the whole quarter-final “scandal.” He point to decisions like Koke no get red card, Le Normand get yellow card wey dem no give, Pubill penalty wey dem no blow, and Llorente foul on Olmo wey dem ignore. He also talk say Musso “burst Fermín nose and nothing happen.”
For TV program ‘El Chiringuito’, Jota Jordi talk stronger. “Na stolen quarter-final be this, not just one match,” he yarn. He insist say referee decisions determine the outcome. He criticize how dem manage yellow cards, noting say Atletico Madrid do 42 fouls for the whole quarter-final but only get three yellow cards. For this last match, dem no get any.
Jota Jordi focus on several controversial plays. “Two penalties no fit be clearer than this,” he talk, referring to Pubill handball for the first leg and one action against Fermín for the return leg. About the Fermín matter, he talk strong: “Dem don destroy his face and referee no blow penalty. Wetin else dem suppose do?”
The analyst no fear to attack UEFA, saying this kind situations “always happen” to Barcelona for Europe. “With Čeferin as head, Barcelona go find am hard,” he talk. He mention say UEFA themselves publish statement the same day of the match “against Barcelona,” wey he believe add more controversy to the matter.
Toni Freixa, former Barcelona director, use his social media to release his frustration after the team elimination. The culé lawyer no accept the sports defeat and accuse Champions League of being competition for cheaters.
“Far superior to the opponent for the quarter-final. Anti-football and directed refereeing don prevent qualification. Shame of competition. Made for cheaters,” angry Toni Freixa write for his social media after Barcelona no come back for Metropolitano.
The blaugrana lawyer come put excuses again after another European elimination for Barcelona. He no accept the sports defeat, even though dem win the match, and accuse referees of stealing the match and UEFA of creating competition for cheaters.
E don reach 11 years since Barcelona last win Champions League, from 2015, and frustration dey high inside barcelonismo. Because of this, inside culé circle the opinion after elimination against Atletico Madrid be say na referee Turpin fault, whose only mistake be no expel Eric García live. No other mistake.
E no be coincidence say Toni Freixa use his social media to become radical Barcelona fan and no accept the team defeats, almost always using referee reasons and forgetting the almost two decades wey his club dey pay Negreira for Spain. But of course, for Europe everything dey different.