Joan Laporta Angry With Referees When Barcelona Draw Against Getafe

Barcelona only won a draw against Getafe in La Liga (Instagram/@fcbarcelona).

JAKARTA - Barcelona president, Joan Laporta, condemned the embarrassing decision not to award a penalty to Jules Kounde in a 1-1 draw on Sunday, January 19, 2025, at Getafe headquarters.

Kounde was dropped by Christantus Uche as he tried to catch a cross at the far post in the 81st minute, but the referee and VAR did not consider it a foul.

Barcelona continued to strive to win, but were unable to beat Getafe. As a result, their winless record in La Liga continued into four consecutive matches (two losses and two draws).

The result left them seven points behind from leaders Real Madrid.

"The referee in the match against Getafe was absolutely embarrassing. Not giving a penalty for a foul on Kounde was a scandal."

"Skandal. I think you should watch it again and again because it's embarrassing," Laporta told reporters on Monday, January 20, 2025.

Laporta also referred to the incident when Real Madrid won over Getafe in December 2024, showing that a penalty was awarded for a very similar foul by Allan Nyom on Antonio Rudiger.

Barcelona's performance in the league is in stark contrast to their performance in other events. They claim the Spanish Super Cup (Supercopa de Espana) with an impressive 5-2 win over Real Madrid recently and advanced to the Copa del Rey quarter-finals.

They are now turning their attention back to the Champions League and traveling to Benfica on Wednesday, January 22, 2025. Victory will guarantee they qualify for the round of 16.

They are currently in second place in the group standings with 15 points from six matches that have been played.

There are still two games left. In addition to Benfica, they will host Atalanta on January 30, 2025.