Tito Vilanova states that the red card issued against him was done so unfairly. Barcelona decide to appeal against the suspension he will be granted.
In the 70th minute of the 2-1 win against Osasuna, Tito Vilanova was issued a red card for protesting after being warned by the assistant referee previously, or so it was said in the referee’s report.
Vilanova, however, had different convictions about his behaviour, stating:
“Muniz sent me off because I told the linesman that Busquets had been fouled during a play. It seems that’s enough to send you off. We know what this referee’s like, we’ve all been warned.”
However, the Catalans are not taking this lightly, and are going to appeal against the red card.
Just five minutes after issuing Tito his red card, referee (Muniz) sent off Osasuna’s defensive midfielder, Francisco Punal, for insulting him. Muniz issued 8 more yellow cards in the match of which 5 were to Osasuna players and
3 to Barcelona.
When asked about the match, Vilanova felt that his side did not play well, and that they gave Osasuna too many chances to score.
“This is a tough place to come and play, Osasuna always brings the game to you, but I think we created enough to win the game.”
Vilanova then continued to say:
“We showed our worth in being able to take the game. To be able to do that in this ground you must be mentally strong, motivated and ambitious.”
The Catalan boss also commented on Lionel Messi’s performance, stating that the Argentine was not in his best form and that he struggled with the pitch. However, he further commented that despite not being in top form, the Argentine
scored the two crucial goals needed to win the match and move up on the top of the table.
However, Vilanova was not the only coach with complaints about Muniz’s refereeing. Osasuna’s coach, Jose Luis Mendilibar, was frustrated with the match officials, with comments about Muniz’s obstruction of Punal and the subsequent
red card he was issued, and not spotting Barca off-sides.
The match was however a success for the Catalans who were defeated 3-2 by Osasuna in Navarra last season. According to Barca players, Andres Iniesta and Messi, it is always a difficult ground to play on, against a difficult team.
In the end Barcelona had to fight for their win and that too without a coach. Messi secured their victory with two late goals in the 76th and the 80th minute. Whether he was in top form or not, the Argentine
proved his worth. All that is left now is to see whether Barca’s appeal against Vilanova’s red card is a successful one.
Tags: