Barcelona played a goalless draw with Cadiz on Thursday in the sixth round of the Spanish football tournament and received a red card too. Under-fire manager Ronald Koeman was not impressed and was upset with the referee after a frustrating 0-0 draw.
Frenkie de Jong was shown a red card in the 65th minute but Koeman defended his player claiming referees in Spain dismiss players “for nothing”. He and midfielder Frenkie de Jong were both sent off in Barcelona’s 0-0 draw with Cadiz on Thursday.
When De Jong was shown a second yellow card in the 65th minute for charging Alfonso Espino after winning the ball Barca’s hopes of leaving Andalusia with a much-needed win were dashed. The Catalan giants’ woes were exacerbated deep into stoppage time when Koeman was also ejected for his protests against referee Carlos del Cerro Grande.
“It was not because of nervousness, it was because I told the fourth official that there was a second ball on the field and the referee had to stop the game. Everyone except the referee saw it,” he told Movistar. “They expel you for nothing, in this country they expel you for nothing. I have asked the referee as normal. Attitude? We leave it because it is not my problem.”
“I do not talk about my personal situation,” he added. “It seems that if I win I continue and if I lose the club has to find another coach. It is for you [to talk about]. The president [Joan Laporta] was at the hotel, and we greeted each other shortly before leaving. Surely there will be more days to talk about this issue if the club wants to talk.”
