De Jong fumes at ref: 'He looks at me like he's better than me'
Barcelona's stand-in captain Frenkie de Jong didn't hold back after their frustrating draw with Real Sociedad, taking aim at Gil Manzano's attitude.
Frenkie de Jong has launched a scathing attack on referee Gil Manzano after Barcelona were held to a frustrating draw against Real Sociedad.
Captain’s fury
The Dutch midfielder, wearing the captain’s armband for Barça, was absolutely fuming after the final whistle. And who can blame him? Despite creating a host of chances against La Real, the Catalans couldn’t find a breakthrough, with the opposition keeper having a blinder between the sticks.
But it wasn’t just the result that had De Jong’s blood boiling - it was the man in the middle who really got under his skin.
Communication breakdown
“What I want to say is that you can’t even talk to the referee. I’m the captain and I don’t understand it,” De Jong fumed post-match. “He looks at me with a face like ‘I’m better than you’.”
Strong words from the Dutchman, but his frustrations didn’t stop there. According to Frenkie, this superiority complex made communication impossible throughout the match, despite him wearing the captain’s armband which should theoretically grant him some dialogue with officials.
Time-wasting tactics
The Barcelona stand-in skipper was particularly vexed about the referee’s timekeeping in the dying moments:
- Claimed Real Sociedad players were taking up to a minute for goal kicks
- Tried to point this out to Gil Manzano as captain
- Received a yellow card for his troubles
- Referee added barely any additional time despite the obvious delays
“It’s absolutely mental,” was De Jong’s assessment of the situation, clearly feeling the ref had lost the plot entirely.
VAR controversy
There was also controversy surrounding a possible offside decision, with De Jong suggesting they’d been told a disallowed goal should have stood. “If it’s offside, it’s offside. There’s nothing else to it,” he said, before noting this wasn’t the first time they’d experienced similar issues at the same ground.
The Dutchman’s comments highlight the ongoing tension between Barcelona and certain La Liga officials - a relationship that’s been proper dodgy for donkey’s years, as we might say in the East End.