“He told me
fuck you
twice.
Me, if I say that, I take ten games.
Marco Verratti is angry.
The target of his wrath?
The referee of the semi-final second leg of the Champions League, lost by PSG on Tuesday evening (2-0) on the lawn of Manchester City, Björn Kuipers.
A few minutes earlier at the microphone of RMC Sport, his partner Ander Herrera also accused the Dutchman of having uttered insults against his partner in midfielder Leandro Paredes, evoking a "fuck off" released against from the Argentine.
Tuesday, Björn Kuipers also distinguished himself by awarding a penalty to the Parisians when the score was 0-0 in the 7th minute and then defeating himself after analyzing the alleged hand of Mancunien Oleksandr Zinchenko on the video.
In the second half, it is also he who inflicts a red card on Angel Di Maria, author of a nasty gesture on the Brazilian Citizens, Fernandinho.
Neymar denounced his attitude in 2018
Björn Kuipers, 48, is a well-known whistle among Parisians. In February, it was he who was appointed to lead the round of 16 first leg of C1 against Barcelona, won (4-1) by Mauricio Pochettino's men. This summer, the Parisians had crossed his path during the Final 8 in Lisbon, where he had refereed their semi-final against Red Bull Leipzig (3-0). In March 2015, he sent off Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the round of 16 against Chelsea. A red that he will regret in an interview with Dutch television.
But in 2018, Kuipers had already been criticized by a PSG player, Neymar in this case, during the Parisians' draw (1-1) in Naples in the Champions League.
“The referee said something he shouldn't have told me,” explained the Brazilian, sanctioned with a yellow that night.
It was a lack of respect on his part.
I don't want to repeat what he told me.
I hope the people above him can take action.
He can't disrespect like he disrespected me.
"
Read also Manchester City-PSG: "I do not want to hear that Neymar is responsible", says Luis Fernandez
But beyond the PSG meetings, Kuipers is one of the most experienced referees on the continent.
The Dutchman has 59 Champions League games on the clock and has already been chosen for two Europa League finals, Chelsea-Benfica in 2013 and the one lost by OM (3-0) against Atlético de Madrid in 2018, as well. as the C1 final between Real Madrid and Atlético in 2014. Besides that, he has already officiated in the 2012 and 2016 Euros, as well as in the last two World Cups.
He is also one of the referees selected for the Euro this summer.
Started in arbitration by his father
An experience illustrated by the way in which the Dutchman addressed Lionel Messi during the Champions League semi-final return leg between Liverpool and Barça in 2019. “Messi, show me a little respect, come on!
You do that every time, he told the Argentine in a documentary posted by UEFA in November 2020. Come on, go!
"
This supermarket manager, originally from a border region of Germany, has always been immersed in arbitration, with a father who officiated among amateurs.
“I used to go to matches with him, he explained on the UEFA website in November 2018. He suggested that I go to refereeing, explaining that I might like it .
And it was.
"
"It's a great feeling to be one of the guys on the lawn," he explained in 2017 on the sidelines of a FIFA internship in Abu Dhabi. You feel the adrenaline. We
(Editor's note: him and his assistants)
are the third team. Now he is questioned by one of the first two.
