Eric García lashes out at the refereeing in the Inter-Barça: "We all know what happened with this referee last time"

FC Barcelona has been eliminated from the UEFA Champions League 2024-25 after a tough defeat in a commitment full of goals and controversy. The azulgrana team fell 4-3 against Inter Milan at the Giuseppe Meazza, in a return match marked by defensive lapses, questionable refereeing decisions and a feeling of injustice that persists after the final whistle.

A refereeing that once again raised doubts

The great focus of the controversy was once again the Polish referee Szymon Marciniak, protagonist of very discussed decisions that, coincidentally or not, were all against Barça. The man from Płock, remembered for the controversy of the double touch penalty annulled to Julián Álvarez in the Atlético-Real Madrid of the round of 16 in this edition of the Champions League, was once again in the eye of the hurricane.

One of Barcelona's goalscorers in the match, Eric García, did not mince words in the mixed zone to show his disappointment with Marciniak's refereeing: "Football has been cruel to us. I have come to Inter Milan's stadium three times and things always happen that are beyond our control. We all know what happened with this referee when we came here last time. But it's no excuse, they have scored six goals against us," he warned in front of the microphones of 'Movistar Plus+'.

- "Football has been very cruel to us".
- "Due to things beyond our control, it hasn't gone our way".
- "Nobody trusted us".

Eric García. 🎙️ @Rsierraplus. #UCL #LaCasaDelFútbol pic.twitter.com/hOpjUlSC56

— Fútbol en Movistar Plus+ (@MovistarFutbol) May 6, 2025

• 📝 THE FACT: Szymon Marciniak has officiated in three matches between FC Barcelona and Inter Milan. The azulgrana team has not won any, adding a defeat (this 4-3 of 2025) and two draws (3-3 in 2022 and 1-1 in 2018).

Some of the refereeing controversies that could have unleashed the culé's unease

One of the most controversial actions came in the 90+2 minute, when Denzel Dumfries committed a hard tackle on Gerard Martín that was not sanctioned. The Dutchman stole the ball after an obvious infraction and the play ended in the 3-3 goal, scored by Francesco Acerbi, which changed the course of the match. Clear infraction not sanctioned.

Dari footage ini terlihat jelas bahwa Gerard Martín memenangkan bola dan Dumfries seharusnya pelanggaran.

Tapi kemanakah VAR? Sangat disayangkan kejadian seperti ini tidak dicek terlebih dahulu, fatal banget sih. pic.twitter.com/vN87LoAt4X

— Cules Connect (@CulesConnect_ID) May 6, 2025

A penalty not awarded for an infraction on Lamine Yamal

Another play was the object of great debate, it was when Lamine Yamal was brought down by Mkhitaryan inside the area. The replays clearly showed the contact on the right boot of the azulgrana winger inside the limits of the area, but Marciniak sanctioned a foul at the edge, indicating that the contact was "barely" outside the area. Controversial decision that even had the approval of the VAR, with Dennis Higler (principal) with Pol van Boekel as assistant.

🖥️💥 Very serious error of the VAR in the action between Mkhitaryan and Lamine Yamal.

👉🏻 There are two contacts in the action, one outside the area and a second on the line.

❌ IT IS A PENALTY.

▪️ Marciniak correctly signaled the penalty but Dennis Higler, in the VAR, changed his decision. pic.twitter.com/HWiyMrX3CJ

— Archivo VAR (@ArchivoVAR) May 6, 2025

Eric García: "This will not affect us for the Clásico"

Beyond the refereeing, Eric García also valued the effort of the team: "Football is like that. With the 2-0 we came up and we were far superior in the second half. And then to have them score the equalizer in the 93rd minute is very tough," he explained.

Likewise, the '24' had words of pride for the team and the culé fans who traveled to the Giuseppe Meazza: "It was a year in which nobody trusted us. Many young people. 4000 people with us leaving their voices... We have LaLiga left," he sustained.

Finally, regarding the next commitment, the versatile player was blunt: "This will not affect us on Sunday in the Clásico. We have exceeded expectations, we are Barça and there are no transition years. The team is reinforced," he concluded.