Xavi Criticizes Referee’s Performance Following Champions League Exit Against Paris St Germain

Barcelona’s manager, Xavi, criticized the referee, stating that the official’s performance had cost Barcelona the opportunity to advance to the Champions League semi-finals. Following a 4-1 loss to Paris St Germain, Barcelona was eliminated from the competition.

Despite initially taking a 1-0 lead with an early goal from Raphinha after winning 3-2 in Paris, Barcelona found themselves down to 10 men when Ronald Araujo received a red card for a foul on Bradley Barcola just before the half-hour mark.

Xavi expressed his frustration to referee Istvan Kovacs, resulting in him being shown a red card as well. Even after being sent off, Xavi returned to the pitch at the end of the match to voice his discontent with the Romanian official following Barcelona’s 6-4 aggregate defeat.

“The referee’s performance was extremely poor. I informed him that his display was unacceptable. While I prefer not to dwell on referees, the impact of his decisions on this season was evident and must be acknowledged,” Xavi stated in an interview with Movistar Plus. “We are deeply disappointed and frustrated because the red card proved to be the turning point in the match. With eleven players, we were in a strong position, playing well, and in control.”