Barcelona left-back Jordi Alba has insisted that he did not disrespect referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz prior to his red card against Espanyol on Saturday.
Alba was given his marching orders on 54 minutes in bizarre fashion as he was booked for kicking the ball away in response to Mateu Lahoz’s decision to award a goal kick, before being shown a second yellow for continuing his protests moments later.
“The first card was for protesting. It’s true that I didn’t see it was a goal kick, I thought it was a corner,” he said after the game.
“I only said to him, ‘it’s always the same, it’s always me’. I didn’t say anything else.
“Although I’ve always had problems with him, I’ve always tried talking to him in a polite manner, but he always reacts.
“I’m strong-willed, but I didn’t disrespect anyone. I now know how to act in the future.”
Barca nonetheless held on for all three points in a 2-0 victory over their Catalan rivals to maintain their two-point lead atop La Liga with just five matches remaining.
“[Cornella-El Prat] is a difficult venue. We looked like we were playing for the League and put in a very good performance,” he added.
“We couldn’t keep up our momentum, however, because of my red card. The team still had a great game, though.”
