Barcelona board not on the same page with Koeman regarding the losses

According to Cadena Ser, the Barcelona board are not on the same page with first-team coach Ronald Koeman on his comments about several losses this season. It seems that the Dutchman has made it a habit to scapegoat VAR or the referees’ poor decision-making for several losses or draws this season.

Furthermore, the board believes that it is a poor practice to blame the referees or VAR for such difficulties throughout the season. They believe – contrary to Koeman – that the El Classico loss was independent of any bad call from the referee. While the board still believes in Barça’s ability to win the domestic double, they are not particularly pleased with the Dutch manager’s attitude towards loss.

In fact, Koeman has blamed six of Barça’s seven losses in domestic competitions on bad calls from VAR or the referee. While there are several speculations from the fanbase that referees in Spain are not particularly fond of making calls in favour of the Catalan club, it is unprofessional for the coach to do the same.

Ronald Koeman reacts to Gil Manzano's ref performance. pic.twitter.com/293Zxmc5jI

— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) April 10, 2021

Ideally, the 58-year-old should rather look at what his team do wrong and how they can improve after a loss, rather than looking to scapegoat the match officials. In 14 of Barça’s 45 games this season, Koeman has come to blame the referees.

While a few calls in the recent El Classico were questionable, these calls were subjective, and the referee most likely made the call he felt was the right one, without allowing any biases to intrude on his officiating. Koeman once again blamed the nature of these calls for the Blaugrana‘s loss, and it seems only right that Laporta’s board are not convinced with such statements from the manager.