Guardiola: ‘Barca didn’t complain on penalties on the first leg. The replays show that it was a penalty both times. When you’re holding the shirt of a player in the box, it’s a penalty. I’ve been taught this since I was a kid’
Guardiola: ‘If Mister Ibrahimovic or Mourinho think we don’t deserve our qualification and that we are winning thanks to referees, I’ll say to them that we are going to play a semi-final for the fifth time in a row. And that actually means something’
Ibrahimovic: ‘It seems like UEFA wants a certain two teams in the Champions League final. Now I understand how Mourinho feels every time he comes to Camp Nou’
Ibrahimovic: ‘How can he give a penalty like that? If he gave that penalty, he should have given my penalty. The game is not about the man in green. It’s a disgrace. I couldn’t believe he called a penalty when the ball wasn’t in play’
Allegri: ‘I don’t know if the referees were decisive or not. In the first half we made a mistake with the first penalty and then the referee lent his help to Barcelona with the second one. Unfortunately, we are out. I would have preferred it to be different, and not with two penalties, which seem as if they were awarded very easily. Playing against Barcelona is never easy’
Nesta: ‘I pulled Puyol out of the way but only after he blocked me. Not a single one of their players protested’
Mourinho’s agent: ‘After those 45 minutes, we already know who is going to win the Champions League’
– Oh well, oh well, oh well. Here we go again. As I pointed out in my Match Report right after the match, haters are already using the 2 CLEAR but stupid penalties to claim a masterminded conspiracy to award the Champions League trophy to Barça – To those jealous, blinded poor souls I say: ENVY is caused by inner frustration and a product of your own inabilities. In other words, grow up and deal with it.
Let’s analyse those specific, not-so-controversial calls: The first penalty was caused by a clear foul on Messi after a loose ball was left in the middle of the area. Rear tackle. Clear penalty. The second penalty was a clear pull on Puyol’s shirt right in front the referee’s nose. Sure, similar fouls like that one get ignored every weekend but, to be honest, a foul is still a foul. So, the morale of this story is: BOTH penalties were correctly awarded. Now go whine elsewhere!
When a team has ended up lifting 13 out of the 16 latest titles they have competed for and qualified for five consecutive Champions League semifinals, talking about referees being responsible for all that Barça have achieved is, to put it mildly, an extremely childish approach.
If you believe everything you read in the Madrid-based press, Messi would be a dwarf who can only play football thanks to taking performance enhancing drugs from a very early age. Unfortunately for them, not even the most hardcore Madridista fans believe their words and the rest of the world is fully aware La Pulga Messi is a hard-working, gifted footballer who has managed to win THREE consecutive FIFA Ballon d’Ors while their beloved Cristinita Ronalda continues to advertise underwear.
I find it hilarious how, out of all Milan players, Zlatan Diva-himovic was the one to voice the conspiracy theory. Once again, the world doesn’t revolve around you, Ibra. This is a player who managed to land as FC Barcelona’s most expensive signing ever in July 2009 and was literally kicked out of the team within 10 months due to his oversized ego, inability to adapt to the Barça style and, perhaps most importantly, lack of quality to keep Bojan Krkic out of the team – a guy who, let’s not forget, is now an on-and-off substitute at 6th placed Italian strugglers Roma.
Dear Mr Diva-himovic: Do us all a favour and shut it. Even Laporta, the Barça’s ex-president who signed you, admits you were a failure. Thanks.
At the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter what La Caverna Mediatica (which literally means ‘The Media Cavern’, referring to the Madrid-based press) tries to make Barça haters believe. While they waste their lives rubbishing our success, Guardiola and his men are using their time to prepare for the challenges ahead, trying to find new ways to develop their already very well-oiled formation.
Who knows? Maybe all of these big-mouthed anti-Culés who are so quick to diminish our successes will have to keep silent after they see El Capitano Puyol lifting the highly-desired, big-eared Champions League trophy next May.
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