Leandro Paredes backed Riquelme and blasted the referee | OneFootball

Paredes denied reports of a falling-out between the two after the 1-1 draw against Cruzeiro. The player also took aim at referee Jesús Valenzuela over the controversial play at the end of the match.

“Now they’re saying we fought again, right? According to you, I fight with him every day. I don’t pay attention to it. I knew that when I got back to the country, this kind of thing would happen—that if Boca did badly, they’d come after us,” said the Xeneize midfielder.

And he added: “I’ve had a great relationship with Román since I was a kid. They were 100% waiting for us, but it’s nothing, it’s part of this.”

Leandro Paredes’ anger at the referee after Boca’s draw with Cruzeiro.

In the final play of the match, all of the Xeneize players appealed for an alleged penalty as the last seconds ticked away. Referee Jesús Valenzuela did not review the play on VAR, and there was anger from the club from La Ribera.

After the referee’s decision, Leandro Paredes exploded in anger at Valenzuela and didn’t hesitate to shout in his face: “Have you no shame?” In the commotion, Claudio Úbeda was also involved and protested vehemently as well.

Later, in an interview for the official broadcast, Paredes gave his take on the controversial play: “It’s strange because their play was handball. The last one, for me, is handball. It’s strange. We depend on ourselves, that’s the good thing. We have to stay calm. We’re playing at home and with our fans.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.