Pedri has urged UEFA to ‘look into’ referee Szymon Marciniak’s performance in Barcelona’s Champions League semi-final second leg defeat to Inter.
…Pedri alleged Barcelona were unfairly treated
…Hansi Flick backed Pedri’s claim
…Barcelona crashed out of UCL semi-finals
WHAT HAPPENED?
The Spanish midfielder felt that Barcelona were unfairly treated in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final fixture against Inter as the Catalan giants crashed out of the competition, losing 4-3 after extra time on the night and 7-6 on aggregate. There were several controversial moments in the match, with VAR intervening. Pau Cubarsi’s tackle on Lautaro Martinez in the first half led to Inter receiving a penalty from which Hakan Calhanoglu doubled his team’s lead, while in the second half, a penalty claim was overturned by VAR after Lamine Yamal was brought down.
WHAT PEDRI SAID
Speaking to El Partidazo de Cope after the match, Pedri said: “This isn’t the first time this has happened to us with this referee, and I think UEFA should look into it. There are things that are hard to explain. There were many situations: every 50/50 went their way, and on the penalty on Lamine, which was later called a foul—he didn’t give [Henrikh] Mkhitaryan a yellow card, which would’ve been his second.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Barcelona boss Hansi Flick backed Pedri’s claims against the match official as the German added: “I know that everyone’s disappointed now that we’re out, but it’s because we invested a lot in this match. We came back again (into the game), and I think some decisions, like the 50/50 were always for Inter, but it’s like that, we have to accept it. It’s football.
“I’m proud of my team, we gave everything, and sometimes you fell like it’s unfair because some decisions the referee made were not for our side, but it’s like that. We have to accept it, and we’ll start again next season. Winning the Champions League is one of our goals, because the fans deserve it. We’ll be back next season in the Champions League.”
WHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA?
The Catalan giants will now aim to seal the La Liga title in the next couple of weeks to complete a domestic double. They will next face Real Madrid at home on Sunday in the season’s last El Clasico.
Goal
