Both Frenkie de Jong and FC Barcelona player Xavi Hernandez have criticized the official who sent them off in their dreadful 0-0 draw with Getafe on Sunday.
The opening game of Barca’s La Liga title defense at the Estadio Coliseum Alfonso Perez ended in a loss for the team.
Raphinha was sent off for an elbow strike on Gaston Alvarez that earned him a second yellow card in a highly physical game just before halftime.
When Getafe captain Djene Dakonam took down Ez Abde, Xavi protested what may have been another Getafe dismissal, but instead he was given a straight red card and had to watch the remainder of the game from a private box in the stands.
After being questioned about what he said to the referee, Xavi replied: “I told him that they were allowing a lot of fouls while we weren’t [getting them given], that’s why he sent me off.
“We had a discussion with the referees the other day, and one of the first modifications they were going to make to the rules was that they would better understand the coaches since there is tension between us.
“My explanation is irrelevant; we made every effort to defeat a very rocky opponent. We earned an inadequate point, which is unfortunate,” Xavi said to DAZN, the Spanish broadcaster of the game.
Though Xavi continued with one of his most critical statements: “If this is the game we want to sell as La Liga… it’s an embarrassment.”
When questioned about an odd late penalty ruling in which Gavi was given a handball penalty rather than the defender who fouled Ronald Araujo, Xavi responded, “I don’t see Gavi’s hand anywhere. Both the referees’ meeting and today’s refereeing were unappealing to me.
De Jong, on the other hand, called the refereeing an “embarrassment” and urged that the Spanish championships draw a line in the sand. However, he was careful to avoid blaming Getafe for their style of play.
“La Liga making judgments like that is a real tragedy. Getafe blew twenty or thirty minutes. After an interaction that lasted over two hours, the Dutchman bemoaned, “It’s an embarrassment.
The time-wasting, in Xavi’s words, was “another embarrassment for me,” he said. He added, “We’re just making a fool of ourselves.”
De Jong and his colleagues will try to secure their first victory of 2023/2024 when they host Cadiz a week from now because Xavi is now serving a suspension and is not permitted to lead from the dugout.
