Crvena Zvezda coach accuses referees of bias after rout by Viktoria Plzeň

Crvena Zvezda coach Riera launched a scathing attack on the officiating crew after his side's clash with Viktoria Plzeň, in which his team was reduced to ten men and conceded three penalties. The European tie's decisive turning point came at the start of the second half.

Dutch referee Danny Makkelie sent off Crvena Zvezda's Bukari for striking Plzeň defender Merhaš Doski in the head. The official also awarded the hosts three penalties: Prince Adu missed the first, but Denis Vyšinský and Christoph Kabongo made no mistake with theirs. It was from the 52nd minute, right after the red card, that Plzeň launched their comeback and ultimately turned the match around.

"Absolutely dishonest"

Even though replays confirmed all three penalties were justified, the Serbian club's coach couldn't hide his frustration. "In how many matches does one team get a red card and three penalties against it on top of that? Every contentious moment was interpreted against us," Riera said.

The Spanish coach admitted that from around the sixtieth minute onward he simply stopped saying anything to the officials. "I felt like I was just wasting my time. The referees were absolutely dishonest, absolutely," he stressed.

A separate matter: the red card

The coach was particularly outraged by Bukari's dismissal, which he called pointless. He said that before the match he had personally told his players to finish the game with ten men no matter what. Footage from the stands showed Riera talking to fourth official Joey Kooij even before the penalty awarded for a foul by former Slavia player Muhammed Cham on Plzeň goalkeeper Florian Vigele.

"Ask the players what my main message before the game was — to stay with nine men... I mean eleven men on the pitch. And then we go and make such a stupid mistake. What am I supposed to do now, kill him? No," the coach said, adding that he expects Bukari to apologise to the entire team and hopes he never repeats such a mistake again.

Source: sport.cz