March 10, (THEWILL) – UEFA is set to investigate PSG president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi and sports director Leonardo, for going in search of the referee to complain about his performance after PSG were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid.
“After the game, the president and the sports director of PSG, Leonardo, showed aggressive behaviour and tried to enter the referees’ locker room”, referee Danny Makkelie is said to have written in his report.
“They blocked the door and the president deliberately hit the flag of one of the attendees, breaking it.”
Al-Khelaifi was heard yelling “I’m going to kill you” in a video recorded by a Real Madrid employee, according to the Spanish radio show ‘El Partidazo’ on Cadena COPE, while Leonardo demanded that the employee stop filming.
According to the report, UEFA has requested the tape from the Bernabeu.
Karim Benzema’s first goal was alleged to have irritated Al-Khelaifi and Leonardo in particular. It happened that Gianluigi Donnarumma was dispossessed by the Frenchman before scoring his first of three goals and Makkelie allowed play to continue.
Mauricio Pochettino, who may likely get the boot at the end of the season, thought it was a foul. “It’s a feeling of a lot of injustice, with the goal we conceded”, he remarked.
“It’s a clear foul from Benzema on Donnarumma. The emotional state of the game changed and we were very exposed. It’s a tremendous blow, because we were better at the tie. We were better for 180 minutes.”
Benzema, who became the oldest player in Champions League history to score a hat-trick, insisted there was no wrongdoing in the build-up to his first goal:
“It’s not a mistake [by Donnarumma]. It’s pressure from the whole team. The goalkeeper waited and waited, he lost the ball and it was a goal. He should have cleared it, simple as that.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
