Martin Demichelis accepts blame for red card against Barcelona

martin demichelis

Martin Demichelis was given a red card following his tackle on Messi

Despite all the controversy it caused on Tuesday night, Manchester City defender Martin Demichelis says he does not blame Swedish official Jonas Eriksson for giving him his marching orders during his side’s defeat to Barcelona in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Demichelis was sent off the field following a tackle on Lionel Messi which many feel was just outside the box. Leo Messi then calmly stepped up to score the awarded penalty and leave The Citizens with 10 men on the pitch and practically all the second half to play for.

However, despite contact appearing to initially take place outside of the penalty area, Martin Demichelis accepted the blame for the tackle on Messi and admitted he should not have made the challenge in the first place.

“I tackled him (Leo Messi) because we were still outside the box. But I don’t blame the referee. It happened all too fast,” Demichelis told The Sun. “I have seen the moment again on TV and think ‘why did I have to tackle him and not keep running by his side?’

“I was sure that I would get the ball when I made the tackle. And then you think that you will steal the ball from Messi, you realise that you don’t. But I made the foul.”

Messi’s goal set the stage for a dramatic 2-0 win at the Etihad stadium with Dani Alves putting the ball through Joe Hart’s legs to give Barça a fantastic chance to go through to the quarter finals.

City manager, Chilean Manuel Pellegrini, was up in arms with Swedish official after the shock defeat and is now facing a UEFA rap for his post-match rant at Jonas Eriksson, who he said favoured the Catalan giants throughout the match.

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My name's Aaron and I'm a great Barça fan. I like to tell it like it is and if there is something I don't like about the club or something that needs addressing, you'll know!

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  1. Información Bitacoras.com

    Valora en Bitacoras.com: Manchester City defender Martin Demichelis has held his hand up over the red card that saw his team go down to Barcelona 0-2.Demichelis was sent off following a tackle on Lionel Messi, which many believe was just outside the ..…