Manuel Pellegrini slams referee after Manchester City lose to Barcelona in Champions League

Manuel Pellegrini faces a UEFA ban after
accusing referee Jonas Eriksson of deliberately
favouring Barcelona.
The angry Manchester City boss claimed
Eriksson awarded Barca a controversial penalty
in their 2-0 Champions League win at the
Etihad on Tuesday to make up for not awarding
the Spanish side two spot-kicks against Milan
two seasons ago.
Pellegrini said the Blues' Martin Demichelis’
challenge on Lionel Messi was outside the box
and he could not understand why Eriksson was
appointed to such a big game.
“There is more important football in Europe
than Sweden,” he fumed. “A big game with two
important teams, that kind of game needs a
referee with more experience.
“This referee whistled the Barcelona-Milan
game and he made an important error against
Barcelona. Today he rearranged it.”
Jose Mourinho had claimed pre-match that
Barca are weaker than they have been in years
and they struggled to create in the first half at
the Etihad against a City side that has been
described as the best on the planet.
But eight minutes after the break, Eriksson
dismissed Demichelis before Messi converted
the penalty in the game’s turning point.
Pellegrini said: “The referee decided the game.
Before the penalty, it was a foul on Navas
when he was three metres from the play so he
could see it.
“From the beginning I felt the ref was not
impartial to both teams. And after it was not a
penalty, it was outside the box, the contact is
outside the box.
“He did not have any control of the game. He
favoured Barcelona from the beginning to the
end. I think it was not a good idea to put a
referee from Sweden in charge and a referee
who made a mistake against Barcelona.”
Dani Alves added a second in the final minute
to deal a potentially fatal blow to City’s
Champions League hopes.
Pellegrini went with just Alvaro Negredo up
front and Aleksandar Kolarov on the left wing.
“I always set out to play in the way we played,
because it is important when you have two legs
against Barcelona not to concede a goal at
home,” he said. “That is why it was a very
close game, a very balanced game. Barcelona
did not have any chances until the penalty
against Demichelis.”
Barcelona boss Gerardo Martino insisted the
tie is not over, saying: “I am not taking
anything for granted. It is true we have done a
good game and we have to repeat this
performance.”