Barcelona manager Xavi expressed strong criticism towards the officiating decisions following his team’s exit fro the UEFA Champions League. The defeat came as Barcelona succumbed 1-4 to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the quarter-final’s second leg, held at their home stadium on April 16. The match saw Brazilian winger Raphinha score for Barcelona in the 12th minute, only for Uruguayan defender Ronald Araújo to receive a straight red card from the referee and subsequently leave the field following VAR confirmation (29′), leaving Barcelona with 10 players
Xavi Hernández, the Catalan boss, himself faced expulsion in the second half for protesting the referee and VAR’s decision to not award a penalty for a foul on Ilkay Gündogan. Barcelona’s goalkeeper coach, Jose Ramon de la Fuente, also received a red card during the match. Speaking on the referee’s decisions that he disapproved of, Xavi lamented, “Our Champions League journey ended due to the referee’s errors. I told the referee that his performance was abysmal. It’s simply the truth”
Further adding to Barcelona’s woes, Ousmane Dembélé, a former player from 2017 to 2023, found the net for PSG in the 40th minute, followed by Vitinha in the 54th. The situation worsened for Barcelona when PSG was awarded a penalty in the 59th minute after Barca’s João Cancelo fouled Dembélé. Kylian Mbappe successfully converted the penalty and went on to score again in the 89th minute
Dembélé faced criticism from Barcelona fans for scoring against his former club in the first leg encounter on April 10, where Barcelona emerged victorious with a 3-2 win. Raphinha and Andreas Christensen contributed to Barcelona’s goals, while Vitinha found the net for PSG in the first leg
Despite their Champions League disappointment, Barcelona remains second in the La Liga standings with 70 point from 31 matches. They are set to face their arch-rivals and league leaders, Real Madrid, next on April 21
