Laporta’s key advisor attacks referee after Barcelona CL exit – ‘He started to threaten…’ | OneFootball

Enric Masip, advisor to FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta and a member of the club’s sporting department, has joined in the criticism of the officiating during the Champions League semi-final second leg against Inter Milan.

The Blaugrana fell to a 4-3 loss at the Giuseppe Meazza on Tuesday night, leading to their elimination from the Champions League – bringing an end to the team’s hopes of winning a treble.

Referee Szymon Marciniak has come under intense scrutiny after the game, with the Barça camp laying the blame on some of his controversial decisions for the team’s exit.

The decision to award Lautaro Martinez a penalty and not give Barça one for a foul on Lamine Yamal, as well as not spotting a potential foul on Gerard Martin leading to the home team’s third goal have been pointed as mistakes by the referee.

Enric Masip hits out at Marciniak

After Barcelona president Laporta himself stated that refereeing was the reason why the team was not in the UCL finals, his key advisor Masip has now followed suit.

Speaking at the Nacex Challenge, a traditional pre-Clásico event that brings together former players and figures from both Barcelona and Real Madrid, Masip expressed concern over the referee’s early behaviour in the match.

“Already in the third minute, after a strong tackle on Lamine, the referee went to the bench in a very rough way, he told Flick to move aside and he started to threaten, I think it was Araujo,” said Masip, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo.

Szymon Marciniak has copped a lot of criticism. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Laporta’s right-hand man then went on to add: “Seeing what had happened with this referee in Milan, and who was in the VAR, sometimes coincidences don’t just happen and the truth is that the whole match was a tough match for them.

“And it’s true that nowadays it’s easy to take it out on the referees, but when we talk about criteria, the same criteria should apply to everyone.”

Looking ahead to the decisive La Liga Clasico this Sunday at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Masip said:

“That’s over and done with, now we have a very important game on Sunday in which a huge part of La Liga is at stake and the significance of the game also means that, if you play a less important team it would probably affect you more.

“But I think it’s a game we have ahead of us in which we will have a physical strain that Madrid won’t have, who have had a clear week. I think the team will go out with the mentality to win, with enthusiasm and like this team has done, which has got out of bad situations.”