PSG were knocked out of the Champions League in the semi-final by Manchester City and there might be an investigation launched by UEFA against the referee for the second leg, Bjorn Kuipers.
The referee had to handle a lot of heated incidents on the pitch during the second leg on Tuesday and he also showed a red card to Angel Di Maria for lashing out at Man City midfielder Fernandinho.
This was not the only heated moment on the pitch since many small arguments broke all across the pitch after that red card incident and according to PSG man Marco Verratti, the referee was abusive on multiple occasions.
Verratti told Sky: “I think the best thing to do is to take a good look at each other, we were in the race until Di Maria was sent off. At that point we needed a miracle.
“The only thing I don’t like is when the referee tells you to “f*** off”, we always try to be respectful, but he did that three or four times during the game.
“He started giving yellow cards here and there and we became a little nervous. It’s not his fault. Manchester City deserve to qualify, they have great players. We could have done more in the first leg.”
Speaking after the match, PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino chose to back his player, urging UEFA to look into it this incident by launching a formal investigation.
“Verratti explained to the TV in an interview,” Pochettino said in his post-match press conference. “We need to believe in what they are telling us.
🗣 Ander Herrera: "The referee said 'f*ck off' to Leandro Paredes. If we say that, we are out for four games."
🗣 Marco Verratti: "He also told me 'f*ck you' a few times. If I say 'f*ck you', I am out for 10 games!" [RMC Sport] pic.twitter.com/GyTTZgx7Uh
— Goal (@goal) May 4, 2021
“I didn’t hear nothing from the touchline. If something is there and it is how they explain, maybe UEFA will investigate the situation.
“That is not an excuse. The most important is that we’re not in the final, that is why we feel really sad.”
UEFA are yet to respond but during the recent Super League debacle, a lot of fingers were pointed at them too so the governing body of football in Europe is surely not going to sit back with folded hands as they will be desperate to maintain their clean image.
