Problem in Spain is they send you off for nothing, states Ronald Koeman
Koeman criticizes the referee
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Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman has criticized the match official in charge of the La Lia fixture between Barcelona and Cadiz after the Dutchman was sent off for dissent in the final minutes. The clash between the two sides ended in a goalless draw, taking Barcelona's winless run to three games.
Barcelona have now played three games without securing a win in all competitions and it has seen manager Ronald Koeman's future at the Spanish club subject to further scrutiny and speculation. This comes despite the fact that the Camp Nou side had plenty of chances to score the opening goal of the contest with Memphis Depay squandering two key chances as he failed to convert from close range.
The tides of the match then turned as Frenkie de Jong was sent off in the 65th minute after earning his second yellow card in less than five minutes which saw the hosts dominate the final stages of the game thanks to their numerical advantage but even then, Cadiz were unable to break down the stubborn Barcelona defense. To make matters even worse for the La Liga giants, Koeman was shown a red card in the final minutes of the game after protesting the referee's decision to show a yellow card to Sergio Busquets.
There were two balls on the pitch and Busquets had passed one of them towards a Cadiz player who had the other ball. It saw the Barcelona boss furious at the officiating of match referee Carlos del Cerro following his stoppage-time red card and he hit out at the officials in Spain on the whole.
"One of the problems is in Spain they send you off for nothing. They don't say why, they just say attitude. Everyone saw the moment there was a second ball on the pitch. Everyone has to see that,” Koeman told La Liga TV.
"I am strong of course. I can't win the battle with the press. I will put my energy into the team and with the players. I still see a fantastic attitude of the players and for me, that is most important. I can't stop what the press are writing. We have to continue, that is my job,” he added.
Barcelona centre-back Gerard Pique also expressed his disappointment with the outcome of the match and the Spanish club's mediocre start to the season.
"When I said 'it is what it is', it's because we've got four absentees up top. I also said we'd end up competing. I'm not wearing the Barca shirt to come second or third. I'm here to win titles and I'm absolutely convinced, despite the start we've made, we'll compete. We need the fans to stay with us," Pique said, reported the BBC.
