Olympiacos manager Jose Luis Mendilibar launched a scathing attack on the officiating following his side’s heavy 6–1 defeat to Barcelona in the third round of the UEFA Champions League. The match, held at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, was dominated by the hosts, but Mendilibar believes key refereeing decisions unfairly influenced the scoreline.
The Greek side was reduced to ten men in the second half after midfielder Santiago Essé received a second yellow card. Referee Urs Schnyder’s decision sparked outrage from Mendilibar, who questioned the legitimacy of both the sending-off and the subsequent penalty that led to Barcelona’s third goal, scored by Lamine Yamal.
“I don’t understand the second yellow card. You have to do much more to be sent off for that,” Mendilibar said post-match. “And then came the penalty, which completely changed the game.”
He continued, expressing frustration over playing at a venue where, in his words, “you get nothing — in fact, they take things away from you.”
The coach also criticized the limitations of VAR, which cannot intervene in yellow card decisions:
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“We asked for a review, but they couldn’t even look. That’s the problem with the rules.”
Regarding the penalty, Mendilibar claimed the referee made the wrong call after viewing the same replays:
“At first, I thought it was a penalty too. But then I saw our goalkeeper pulled his hands away and didn’t touch the opponent. If anything, the attacker made contact with him. But VAR said nothing. Down to ten men and 3–1, the game was already decided.”
While acknowledging Barcelona’s quality, Mendilibar concluded that crucial officiating errors heavily skewed the result against his team.
