Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman blasted match referee Carlos del Cerro Grande after receiving a red card during his side’s 0-0 draw with Cadiz, claiming: “In this country, they send you off for nothing!”
Barca extended their recent winless run to three matches in all competitions after a stalemate at Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla on Thursday night.
“One of the problems is in Spain they send you off for nothing,” Koeman told La Liga TV. “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.
“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.”
The pressure is building on Koeman after a start to the season which has seen the Catalan giants draw three of their first five league games and lose 3-0 to Bayern Munich in their opening Champions League group-stage game last week.
The former Barcelona midfielder has not been helped by the club’s perilous financial position, which saw Lionel Messi exit the club in the summer and has left the manager with a young and inexperienced squad.
TheNewsGuru reported earlier that, Thierry Henry has emerged as a candidate for Ronald Koeman’s job at Camp Nou, his name has been raised inside Barca boardroom.
Henry is currently assistant coach to Roberto Martinez with Belgium national team.