Sunday, April 11, 2021 at 12:06 AM• Daniel Cabot Kerkdijk • Last update: 00:17

Ronald Koeman was absolutely not to enjoy on Saturday evening after the 2-1 defeat against Real Madrid. The Barcelona coach was not only disappointed about the loss against the competitor, but also about the lack of a penalty after an alleged foul by Ferland Mendy on Martin Braithwaite in the closing minutes. Barcelona claimed that the defender had pulled Braithwaite’s shirt, but neither the refereeing nor the VAR intervened. For Koeman it was ‘a clear penalty’, he emphasized.

“I think everyone who has seen this match and is for Barcelona is angry,” Koeman explained to the camera. Movistar LaLiga are protests after the final whistle. “Then you are dissatisfied with the decisions the arbitration has taken. But first I want to say that in the first half we were not good both defensively and offensively. In the second half we were better. But I just want the arbitration to make the right decisions ”, the Dutchman emphasized in conversation with Ricardo Sierra.

“Correct decisions. It’s a penalty against Braithwaite. Clearly. The extra time was only four minutes, while the referee needed two to three minutes to fix a technical problem. Again we have to accept this and again we have to shut up. I’ve said what I think, perfectly. I don’t want to say that we lost because of the referee, but there have been moments that have had an influence. ” Sierra asked Koeman whether he thought the moment of the alleged penalty kick was decisive. “Of course,” the trainer answered with conviction. “It’s a clear penalty and I don’t understand why there is a VAR in Spain.”

“There is a linesman, there is a referee, there is a fourth official and there is a VAR. It is impossible to fall like this if you are not held. The linesman was ten meters away and has seen nothing. The VAR does not act. I don’t understand why there is a VAR and I still don’t understand how the VAR works in Spain. Everyone believes it is a penalty kick. Didn’t you think it was a penalty? Yes or no? ”, Koeman asked Sierra. The reporter stammered a bit about the referee and expressed his reservations. “Fine. If you don’t want to express your opinion, then you shouldn’t, ”said Koeman, shaking his head, before ending the interview abruptly.