Xavi Hernandez, the head coach of FC Barcelona, strongly criticized the referee who gave him a red card during a tough 0-0 draw against Getafe on Sunday. This sentiment was shared by midfielder Frenkie de Jong.
Barcelona was unable to secure three points in their opening La Liga title defense match at the Estadio Coliseum Alfonso Perez.
In a physically intense match, Raphinha was provoked and subsequently shown a red card near halftime for elbowing Gaston Alvarez, receiving his second yellow card.
During the game, Xavi protested what could have been another dismissal for Getafe when Djene Dakonam, the captain of the hosts, brought down Ez Abde as the last defender. Surprisingly, Xavi was the one handed a straight red card instead, forcing him to watch the rest of the match from a private box in the stands.
When asked about what he said to the referee after the incident, Xavi disclosed, \”I told him that they were allowing many fouls against us while we weren\’t getting them, which is why he sent me off. The other day we had a meeting with the referees, and one of the proposed changes in the regulations was that they would understand coaches better due to the tension we experience.\”
Xavi continued, \”My expulsion doesn\’t matter; we tried every way to win against a tough opponent. The point we gained is insufficient; it\’s disappointing,\” Xavi told DAZN, the broadcaster of the match in Spain.
Commenting on a late penalty call, where Gavi was oddly penalized for a handball rather than the defender who fouled Ronald Araujo, Xavi stated, \”I don\’t see Gavi\’s hand involved anywhere. I didn\’t appreciate the meeting with the referees, and I wasn\’t pleased with the officiating today.\”
Frenkie de Jong also criticized the officiating, describing it as an \”embarrassment.\” While he didn\’t blame Getafe for their playing style, he urged La Liga to take action.
\”It\’s truly regrettable that La Liga makes such decisions. Getafe wasted 20 or 30 minutes. It\’s embarrassing,\” the Dutchman lamented, after a match that lasted nearly two hours.
\”The referees and La Liga need to make different choices, like the Premier League,\” he added, while also demanding referees to \”put a stop to time-wasting now.\”
Xavi further commented on the time-wasting, labeling it as \”another embarrassment for me.\” He also mentioned, \”We\’re making ourselves look foolish.\”
Since Xavi is suspended and not allowed to coach from the sidelines, Frenkie de Jong and his teammates will aim to secure their first win of the 2023/2024 season at home against Cadiz in a week\’s time.