PSG is not the epitome of the sporty loser. The French club’s anger after the Madrid elimination focused on referee Danny Makkelie. The chairman would even have attacked the ref after the match.
The elimination has hit Paris Saint-Germain hard. Trainer Mauricio Pochettino pointed an accusing finger at Dutch ref Danny Makkelie. He would have made a mistake in the equalizer of Real Madrid.
“It is not easy to explain what happened here,” said PSG coach Pochettino. “There was an obvious mistake on Gianluigi Donnarumma in Benzema’s 1-1 and that changed everything.”
“It’s hard not to talk about this refereeing blunder, which I can’t understand and can’t forgive. I also don’t understand why the ref didn’t call on VAR for that stage.”
It all started with the foul on Donnarumma not being whistled. It’s not normal what happened here.
Pochettino then felt the match slip out of the hands of PSG. “After that equaliser, everything changed: the stadium believed in it again and my players became nervous. I am angry and frustrated by this situation.”
“It was the worst thing that could have happened to us, because we lost everything in 10 minutes. And it all started with the mistake on Donnarumma who didn’t whistle. It’s not normal what happened here.”
The PSG coach realizes that he is not going to have an easy period. “The rest of the season will be difficult. Everyone knows that the Champions League is PSG’s big goal. This elimination will not go well with our supporters, but at such moments you also have to remember the right thing.”
PSG president goes crazy in catacombs
The importance of the Champions League for Paris Saint-Germain was also clear from the behavior of chairman Nasser Al-Khelaïfi. He actually went to the referee after the elimination.
According to several sources, he went wild in the catacombs: swearing, yelling and banging on the door, he tried to get to Makkelie. Technical director Leonardo was also present.
When Al-Khelaïfi saw that a Real employee was filming his behavior, he behaved even more aggressively. He is said to have damaged a flag of one of the assistant referees. There may be an investigation by UEFA.
