PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain coach Carlo Ancelotti yesterday said he was surprised that their Champions League quarterfinal opponents Barcelona had written to UEFA to complain about the standard of refereeing in the first leg.
“I was very surprised. I don’t think that the referee (Germany’s Wolfgang Stark) created a problem for Barcelona,” he said, adding wryly: “Perhaps he created one for PSG.” The Catalan giants and Spanish league leaders in particular complained that Stark refused to allow Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba to come back on the pitch after receiving treatment, just as PSG were preparing to take a corner.
“When two players from the same team are on the ground, the referee has to stop the match, which he did not do, and he cannot force them to leave the field of play,” said Barca spokesman Toni Freixa.
Freixa said it was a “sufficiently serious issue to discuss with UEFA” and the club simply wanted to express their “surprise at the fact that the referee has not applied the laws of the game.”
Ancelotti said the letter was no indication that Barca were concerned going into next week’s second leg.
But the Italian conceded that with the first leg at the Parc des Princes ending in a 2-2 draw, Barca had the upper hand, as away goals count in the event of the scores being tied over the two matches.
Nevertheless, he added: “Anything is possible.
Neither Barca nor PSG is going to change their approach in the return fixture.” At the end of Tuesday’s match, Barca assistant coach Jordi Roura strongly criticized Stark, complaining that he allowed PSG’s first goal to stand even though striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was offside.
Ancelotti meanwhile believed that a second half penalty converted by Barcelona’s Xavi should not have been awarded.
