‘Stop Crying’ – Stan Collymore Slams French Media for Reaction to Ibrahima Konate No-Foul Call | OneFootball

Paris Saint-Germain had several chances but couldn’t capitalize, falling 1-0 to Liverpool on Wednesday night at Parc des Princes in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie.

The only goal came late in the second half, but the most discussed moment of the match occurred midway through the first. Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate fouled Bradley Barcola.

VAR reviewed the incident to determine if it warranted a red card for denying a goal-scoring opportunity, but after the check, the referee chose not to take action.

However, the decision has sparked backlash in the French media. RMC Sport’s Jérôme Rothen criticized the refereeing, calling it subpar during PSG’s 1-0 defeat. He argued that Konate’s foul on Barcola should have resulted in a red card and called the call a “huge mistake.”

Former player calls for French media to “stop crying”

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In his exclusive column for CaughtOffside, former Aston Villa and Liverpool forward Stan Collymore shared his thoughts on the controversial moment and also took aim at the French media and pundits.

“A lot of pundits said that Liverpool got away with one on the night – and they did – but looking at that, you also have to look at the mentality that they showed,” Collymore wrote. “PSG created lots of chances, they were scoring lots of goals in the build-up to the match, but they still could not score, and Liverpool managed to keep a clean sheet.

“The reality now for PSG is that they can’t have any excuses at Anfield. Their players, coaching staff, as well as the French media and pundits, they need to stop crying and go to Anfield and be more clinical in front of goal. If they do that, and also keep a clean sheet, they have every chance of turning it around. But I think if they spent the next week crying over the first leg, they will approach the second leg in the same way, and Liverpool would take advantage of that.

“I think Konate was lucky not to be sent off. For me, it is a red card, but there were 10 other incidents during the match that you can say that about, and then you’re dealing with hypotheticals. The reality is that on the pitch, the referee decided that it was not a red card. On this incident, I think there has been a bit of an agenda behind it, and it has primarily been driven by the French media.”