UEFA to investigate Nasser Al-Khelaifi, Leonardo for confronting match officials after Champions League exit - reports
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ByEurosport
Published 10/03/2022 at 16:13 GMT
Real Madrid overturned a 1-0 first leg deficit in the Champions League round of 16 to progress to the quarter-finals with a 3-2 aggregate win over the Ligue 1 club with Karim Benzema scoring a second half hat-trick. PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and sporting director Leonardo reportedly tried to confront the referee after the game as they were furious Benzema's first goal was allowed to stand.
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PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and sporting director Leonardo went looking for the referee to complain about his performance after PSG were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid, according to reports.
Referee Danny Makkelie is claimed to have written in his report: "After the game, the president and sports director - Leonardo - of PSG showed aggressive behaviour and tried to enter the referees' locker room.
"They blocked the door and the president deliberately hit the flag of one of the attendees, breaking it."
Movistar journalist Monica Marchante reported that Al-Khelaifi had to be calmed down a number of people in the mixed zone as he tried to enter the referee's locker room.
Spanish radio show 'El Partidazo' on Cadena COPE claims Al-Khelaifi could be heard saying "I'm going to kill you" in a video filmed by a Real Madrid employee while Leonardo demand that he stopped filming.
The news outlet claim that UEFA have requested the footage from the Bernabeu.
Al-Khelaifi and Leonardo were said to be particularly aggrieved by Karim Benzema's first goal.
Makkelie allowed play to continue when Gianluigi Donnarumma was dispossessed by the Frenchman before he scored his first of three goals.
PSG head coach Mauricio Pochettino, who risks being sacked after the defeat, believed it was a foul. "It's a feeling of a lot of injustice, with the goal we conceded," he said.
"It's a clear foul from Benzema on Donnarumma.
"The emotional state of the game changed and we were very exposed. It's a tremendous blow, because we were better in the tie. We were better for 180 minutes."
Benzema, who became the oldest player to score a Champions League hat-trick, said there was no foul in the build-up to his opening goal
"It's not a mistake [by Donnarumma]. It's pressure from the whole team,” he said.
"The goalkeeper waited and waited, he lost the ball and it was a goal. He should have cleared it, simple as that."
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