MADRID (AP) — Barcelona forward Rafinha has apologized for his gesture towards Atletico Madrid fans after the game. team loss in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
Rafinha missed the game on Tuesday, but hamstring injuryHe also criticized the referee by making the “stolen” sign with his hand, and later told reporters that Barcelona had “snatched” both of his legs.
The Brazilian star is likely to be punished by UEFA for his actions at the Metropolitano Stadium.
He remained on the field and gestured towards Atlético supporters, in a gesture that clearly hinted that his rivals would be eliminated in the next match. He seemed to be telling his fans, “You’re out.”
“I apologize for the gesture, which does not reflect my values or character,” Rafinha said Wednesday in a comment on a DAZN post showing the gesture toward the crowd. “It was a moment of nervous action towards a fan who disrespected me.”
Barcelona, aiming to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the second consecutive season, won 2-1 on Tuesday, but it was not enough to overcome last week’s 2-0 home defeat in the first leg.
Atlético goalkeeper Juan Musso said it was nonsense for Rafinha to say Barcelona were robbed.
“I respect everyone’s opinion, but let’s not say it was a robbery, because it wasn’t like that,” Musso said. “We won on the field, we won 2-0 away. It’s a team that we respect a lot and are very motivated to play against. It’s a great team, but I think it’s really crazy to talk about robbery.”
Rafinha did not immediately apologize for his comments about the referee.
“For me, it was ‘stolen,'” he told reporters on Tuesday. “Not only in this game, but in other games as well. The referees were very bad. Their decisions were unbelievable. Atlético committed a lot of fouls, but the referee didn’t show a single yellow card.”
Other players also criticized the referee regarding both legs.
president-elect joan Laporta said Wednesday. The officiating was “disgraceful” and “unacceptable” and the club said it planned to lodge a formal complaint with UEFA.
___
AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
