Can slams officials after Chelsea defeat: ´The referee was arrogant´

Emre Can launched into a scathing attack on the performance of the referee after Borussia Dortmund were knocked out of the Champions League following a 2-0 defeat against Chelsea.

Graham Potter’s side faced a tough task after losing the first leg 1-0 in Germany, but Raheem Sterling’s first-half goal and a Kai Havertz penalty secured a 2-1 aggregate win for the Blues.

Havertz’s penalty was the subject of much controversy after the forward was allowed to retake the spot-kick following encroachment from Salih Ozcan during his first missed attempt, a decision that left Can furious.

“The referee was to blame,” the Dortmund midfielder told Prime Video.

“I don’t understand the second penalty. How can you give it? I don’t give a damn who ran into the penalty area before. He hits the post, finished.”

Speaking further on the performance of Danny Makkelie, he said: “The referee was arrogant throughout the game. I wanted to talk to him normally at half-time, that’s where it starts.

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“We’re playing here at Stamford Bridge. Maybe the referee is afraid of the fans. UEFA should send another referee. That’s just not possible.”

Dortmund had won 10 consecutive games prior to this second-leg encounter, with defeat on Tuesday their first of 2023 and seeing them fail to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League in back-to-back seasons.

Despite the narrow loss, Can was pleased with his side’s performance, suggesting Dortmund were not to blame for the defeat.

He said: “We played a decent game. I am proud to be part of this team. We need not be ashamed. We didn’t embarrass ourselves. In the end, we lost undeservedly, also because of the officials.”