"We train all week to win to get fu***d like that" - PSG superstar Marco Verratti loses his cool and blasts referee for Sergio Ramos red card
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) midfielder Marco Verratti was furious with referee Pierre Gaillouste for sending off Sergio Ramos during a 0-0 draw against Reims on Saturday (8 October). He was seen slamming the referee's decision in the tunnel during halftime.
Ramos was booked for a challenge in the 40th minute of the Ligue 1 game at Stade Auguste Delaune. However, the referee then shockingly showed him a straight red card for dissent.
During halftime, Canal+, the broadcaster, caught Verratti enraged with the decision. He was seen saying (via Le Figaro):
"If the referee does this on purpose, it's not good. We train all week to win to get f**ked like that. Why are you doing the protagonists?"
He also shouted:
"Why? They are mad!"
PSG eventually played out a goalless draw against the home side, with Lionel Messi not playing and Neymar Jr. coming off the bench.
Ramos has found a new lease of life under Christophe Galtier this season, playing 14 matches already in all competitions.
This is in stark contrast to his debut season after his move to Paris last summer, when he played just 13 matches as he struggled with injuries and poor form.
The Parisians, meanwhile, are still at the top of the Ligue 1 table, three points clear of second-placed Olympique Marseille. The two sides will clash on 16 October at the Parc des Princes.
Before that, however, PSG will host Benfica on Tuesday (11 October) while Marseille will face Sporting CP away on Wednesday (12 October) in the UEFA Champions League.
PSG coach Christophe Galtier defends Sergio Ramos after red card against Reims
After the game, Galtier stressed that the referee perhaps took Ramos' statements personally, as such expressions are made on the football field all the time.
He defended his player, saying (via L'Equipe):
"I'm sure Sergio didn't mean to insult the referee. He released an expression that I hear hundreds of times all week on the pitch, that we also hear in the Championship. When we are angry, we have words, we hear words but it is an expression."
He added:
"I think the referee took it for himself when knowing how it goes. I had the same problem for José Fonte in Lille. The referee had taken it as an insult against him when it is an expression that is often said on the ground."
However, Galtier admitted that PSG needed to perform better on the night, despite Ramos not being on the pitch.