Olympiacos manager furious with officiating after heavy Barcelona defeat – ‘They took it away from us’ | OneFootball

Olympiacos manager Jose Luis Mendilibar did not hide his frustration following his team’s 6-1 loss to FC Barcelona in the Champions League. 

The coach, visibly angry after the match, directed much of his criticism at the referee’s decisions – particularly the red card shown to midfielder José Luis Mendilibar in the 57th minute and a penalty awarded later in the game.

Speaking after the defeat, Mendilibar made his discontent clear. “The second yellow card is incomprehensible to me. 

“You have to do a lot more to get a card. And then to top it all off, the penalty against us for the third goal,” he said. 

The coach suggested that his side was treated unfairly throughout the match. 

“When you come to these fields, they’re not going to give you anything. And in our case, they took it away from us,” he continued.

Mistakes and refereeing decisions

The Olympiacos boss admitted that his side were outplayed by Barcelona but insisted that certain moments went against them, leaving him with “bad feelings” after the final whistle. 

“There was a bit of everything. They went into halftime up 2-0. They took advantage of two mistakes we made. 

Santiago Hezze was sent off against Barcelona. (Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)

“In the first half, we had chances to score. We competed well. In the second half, we got back into the game with the goal, but it didn’t last long,” he analysed.

Mendilibar also expressed his frustration with the use of VAR, explaining that the technology could not intervene in Hezze’s sending-off since it was a second yellow card. 

“In the end, you ask them to look, but they can’t look,” he said.

Disputed penalty adds to frustration

The final straw for Mendilibar came with the penalty awarded against Olympiacos for Barcelona’s third goal. The coach questioned the referee’s interpretation after reviewing the footage himself. 

“I saw it in the same image as the referee. At first, I said, ‘It’s a penalty.’ But then, when I saw that he didn’t reach the ball, the goalkeeper completely shrank his arms. 

“It’s another thing that the opponent touched my goalkeeper, I don’t know, but my goalkeeper didn’t touch the opponent, I’m absolutely convinced. 

“VAR didn’t say anything. With one less player and 3-1, there was no game,” he commented.

Despite acknowledging Barcelona’s superiority, Mendilibar made it clear that key refereeing calls heavily influenced the outcome, leaving Olympiacos to reflect on what might have been in a night full of frustration.

Source: Mundo Deportivo