A former international referee said that Ibrahima Konate‘s shove on Bradley Barcola would ordinarily have resulted in a red card for the Liverpool defender.
Konate escaped a VAR check for a possible red card in the first half when he appeared to barge Barcola to the ground in a last-man challenge.
However, the on-field referee ultimately took no further action, much to the frustration of PSG sporting director Luis Campos, who vented his anger at the match officials at half-time.
Said Ennjimi, a former FIFA and Ligue 1 referee, suggested that Konate was lucky to stay on the field. He told L’Equipe: “Ibrahima Konate fouled Bradley Barcola. You can use your shoulder in a duel, but when the opponent is in front and you push him, it’s a foul. The question is whether a similar situation would have been called in midfield. The answer is yes.
“So, behind, it’s normally a red card and a penalty if it’s in the box or a free kick if it’s just outside. There was the VAR but the referee, Mr Massa, didn’t go and watch the slow motion. If he had, I think he would have changed his decision.”
Rio Ferdinand, who was on co-commentary duty for TNT Sports, said during the first half: “That is a foul. The push is in the back, so it’s a foul. If that’s not a red card I’ll be amazed.”
Ferdinand then added at halftime: “I can’t believe how lucky Liverpool have been there. If Barcola and Konate were shoulder to shoulder then I get it. But Konate barges him basically on the numbers on his back, between his shoulder blades.”
Meanwhile, former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock said on BBC Radio 5 Live: “It goes in the filing cabinet of ‘I’ve seen them given.’ I would feel annoyed if I was a PSG player.”
However, PSG midfielder Vitinha refused to use the incident as an excuse for PSG not winning the match. He said: “I’m on the pitch, it’s hard to see, I’m not going to talk about that. We’re not going to hide behind that. I remain optimistic, a victory was more than deserved.
“I know that the only thing that matters is when the ball is in it. I’m sure it’s going to happen at Liverpool, we’re going to play a great game.”
