Roma manager Claudio Ranieri expressed his frustration following the 1-1 draw against Porto in the first leg of the Europa League playoff. The Italian coach was particularly critical of the refereeing performance by Tobias Stieler.
Ranieri began by praising his team’s performance, stating, “It was a beautiful match. We came here to win, and I’m really happy with the boys’ performance.” However, his tone quickly shifted as he addressed UEFA’s head of refereeing, Roberto Rosetti.
“What I can’t accept, and I’m speaking to Rosetti now: everyone knows you’re a person of integrity and honesty. How can you send a referee to Porto who, in 22 matches, has only seen the away team draw 9 times? Why this appointment?” Ranieri questioned.
The Roma manager continued his criticism, suggesting bias in the officiating. “He was going around promising cards to some, giving them to others. In my view, he was waiting for something to happen inside the penalty area so he could give them the victory,” he claimed.
Ranieri revealed he had instructed his players not to protest, acknowledging that while some bookings were fair, he felt the referee was unnecessarily antagonizing players from the start. Roma received eight yellow cards and one red during the match.
After the final whistle, Ranieri rushed onto the field to prevent his players from confronting the referee. “I also didn’t want them to even salute him. He did not deserve a salute,” he explained. “Seeing something like this on an international pitch… It’s done now, we move on.”
The veteran coach also expressed his frustration with modern football tactics, particularly players exaggerating contact. “I hate it when I see players scream and clutch their faces as if they’ve been hit. Use VAR against them too and penalize those who simulate contact, otherwise we can’t play football anymore. This is no longer football!”
In his post-match press conference, Ranieri continued to question the referee appointment, stating, “Rosetti is a man of integrity, what does a serious person need to prove? I don’t understand. He sends a referee who, in 21 away matches, has only seen 9 draws, with the home team winning the rest. How do I know this? He knows it too.”
Ranieri concluded by suggesting that the refereeing issues extended beyond this single match, referencing a previous controversial appointment. “A friend of mine told me that he also sent Taylor to the Budapest final,” he added, alluding to another contentious officiating performance in a European final.
