At the Montjuic Olympic stadium,
When it comes time to dissect the human being with a capital H, after the extinction of our race, the ethnologists of the next species which will replace us on Earth will have to focus with the greatest acuity on our friends from Barcelona. Because they are literally unplayable from a psychological point of view when it comes to football.
We will pass over the very limited behavior of our colleagues, based on nudges to first make a way towards Mbappé, the man who makes them lose all sense of reason, when he arrived in the mixed zone, to focus on the absurd reactions of the Blaugranas after the Parisian victory.
A victory which, we thought upon leaving the press box, had not been tainted by any refereeing irregularity, unlike a certain match in 2017 at the Camp Nou. But think about it! A sleuth from the sports department of 20 minutes had warned us well: having benefited from the greatest theft (proven, this one) referee in history, in 2017, during the first comeback, was not going to prevent them from being outraged on Tuesday evening.
Xavi goes to war
In the process, Xavi’s statement, the Blaugrana coach, usually rather reserved at press conferences, fell like a chopper. Asked about Araujo’s red card after half an hour of play which, it is true, completely turned the match on its head, the little slimy guy from Barça spoke out. Hang up your sheaths (and definitely don’t try to reproduce this at home) because it’s great art.
“ “The expulsion of Araujo? Yes, we are upset, we are angry, the action decides the double confrontation. We were good, and that changes everything, completely. It’s too much of a red card for this action, it’s not good for football, it becomes another match. Action changes the double confrontation, he thundered. The work of an entire season ends here because of a refereeing decision. I would have liked to play against Luis Enrique and PSG eleven against eleven the whole match. I told the referee that it was a disaster, that he hadn’t understood the game. We have to say it, we can’t stay silent. » »
In view of the images, however, it seems that Istvan Kovacs’ decision is not subject to any dispute. We could ultimately admit that the debate exists, that it touches on this famous difference of interpretation, but to come and talk about this red in these terms, to argue that “we cannot remain silent” as Xavi did. ‘accuses’ Hernandez, you still have to have the cojones securely harnessed with shoulder straps.
Branco street in stretchers
As for the supporters, finally, we were on the verge of ignoring their indignant reactions. Frankly, do fans who throw rocks at their own players’ bus thinking it’s the opponents’ bus deserve attention?
And finally we came across the tweet from Juan Branco, the French lawyer fan of Barça, who we thank for having served us the most beautiful seum in history on a silver platter, in a tirade as convoluted as ‘incomprehensible.
“Football feeds on these scandals and corruption. Power creates indignation by making rules that it violates in order to remain. In doing so, he ensnares us, generating the attention he sought. Let no one pretend that this match was not bought,” wrote on Twitter the one who had already tried, hand in hand with the Spanish La Liga, to initiate a legal action that was, to say the least, far-fetched against PSG, after the signing of Kylian Mbappé’s new contract in Paris.
Basically, the theory of the evening among some pro-Barça would be to say that the PSG of Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, big man of UEFA at war against Barça in the Superleague affair, would have bribed the referee as if the heyday of suitcases of biftons discreetly slipped under the coat. Did you say conspiracy theory?
Araujo, sole culprit
To conclude on a slightly more reasonable note, and focus on the fact of the game and nothing but the fact of the game, let’s say that the Barça coach and the Culés followers would have been more inspired to attack their player. Because if Barcola had taken the upper hand and was preparing to challenge Ter Stegen one on one, the former Lyonnais was still off center from the goal and there is nothing to say that he would have ended the action with a pawn. Getting caught on such a mistake while your team is leading and there is still more than an hour to play is borderline suicidal. And it was.
Moreover, Luis Enrique may have maintained eye to eye that “even without the expulsion” PSG “would also have won the match”, it is still damnable to doubt it as the Parisian team seemed totally at ease. side of the plate from the kickoff. This foul and this red indeed changed the course of history but, believe us, we were there, the ghost of Aytekin never hovered above the Montjuic stadium on Tuesday evening.