Barcelona suffered a frustrating 2-1 defeat in last night’s La Liga clash, with post-match discussions dominated by strong criticism of the referee from both players and the head coach. The result left Barça players visibly angry, as they felt key moments went against them during a tense encounter.
Midfielder Frenkie de Jong did not hold back after the final whistle, claiming the referee showed a lack of respect towards the Barcelona players. “We couldn’t even speak with the referee, he looked at us like he’s better than us,” De Jong said while reflecting on the controversial officiating. The Dutch international was particularly unhappy with the lack of added time, despite what he felt was excessive time-wasting by the opposition.
“It is shameful that with all the time they’ve wasted, they didn’t even add a single minute. Not even the captain could talk to the referee,” De Jong added, highlighting the growing frustration within the Barcelona camp. According to him, the referee appeared overly strict with Barça players.
De Jong also pointed out that this was not an isolated incident, suggesting a pattern in recent visits to the same ground. “The same thing happened to us here last year. The referee can be more lenient toward the players. It seemed like he was eager to hand out cards to us,” he remarked.
