Xavi: 'It's a shame that Barca didn't win because of the referee'

"I told the referee he ignored many of Getafe's errors but we didn't. That's why he showed me a red card," Xavi told Marca after the game, when asked about his disqualification only. religion.

Xavi added, the day before the match, the La Liga coaches had a meeting with the board to discuss some changes to the rules. Here, the referees say that they want to understand the coaches better. But according to Xavi, the fact that he was dismissed by the referee Cesar Soto Grado yesterday showed that there was no such understanding.

In the match Barca drew Getafe 0-0 in the first round of La Liga, the referee showed three red cards. In the 41st minute, Barca striker Raphinha was sent off because of a cold attack. At the beginning of the second half, the numbers of both sides were equal when Jaime Mata received a second yellow card for pulling down Ronald Araujo. In the 70th minute, because of the referee's reaction to the referee's decision not to blow a penalty, Xavi was sent off.

Barca coach said that the match ended with a score of 0-0 entirely due to referee Soto Grado. He is concerned that the way the referee works may make La Liga less attractive.

"We tried, but couldn't win. I think Barca deserved to win. It's a shame we couldn't do it because of the referee. He couldn't control the game," Xavi added.

Xavi also said that Getafe always tries to use tricks to buy time. Red cards and controversy made the match last 115 minutes and 54 seconds. This is the match with the longest playing time in La Liga since the 2017-2018 season.

"The referee told us not to give a penalty if the handball was not clear. But they gave a free kick to Gavi when I didn't see the ball touch his hand. I don't like meeting the referee anymore. The match Today was a shame. The new injury time rule in football is ridiculous. They imagined the handball," Xavi said of the situation when the referee penalized Gavi's handball, causing Barca to lose the opportunity to score. .

Barca drew 0-0 for the second time in a row in the opening match of La Liga. Last season, Xavi's teachers and students were stopped by Rayo Vallecano at Camp Nou. In the second round of this weekend, the Catalan team will meet Cadiz.