THE FUSE

The tension at the Reale Arena boiled over in the aftermath of Barcelona's stumble in the title race, with De Jong delivering one of the most blistering post-match interviews of the season. Following a frustrating 2-1 loss to Real Sociedad, the Dutch midfielder did not hold back in his assessment of the referee, suggesting that the official’s attitude towards the players was disrespectful and condescending.

Speaking to DAZN immediately after the final whistle, De Jong appeared visibly agitated. He had just been shown a yellow card in the dying moments of the game, a decision that seemed to be the catalyst for his outburst. "With this referee, it is very frustrating," De Jong fumed. "You can't talk, even though I'm the captain and I should be able to do so."

He added: "He looks at you like 'I'm better than you'. You can't contribute like that."

The flashpoint that seemingly broke De Jong’s patience occurred in stoppage time. As Barcelona chased an equaliser, the game became fragmented by stoppages, with Real Sociedad naturally looking to wind down the clock to secure a famous victory. De Jong attempted to highlight this to Gil Manzano, only to find himself in the referee’s notebook for dissent.

Recounting the incident, De Jong explained his perspective, which he felt was entirely reasonable given the context of the match. "During stoppage time, I told him to keep an eye on the clock because every foul - and it's normal for them to commit these - every throw-in or goal kick was a waste of time," he said. "'They take a minute to take the throw-in,' I told him. He showed me the yellow card. And even then, he only added ten seconds. It's insane."

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Disallowed Lamine Yamal goal sparks confusion and VAR debate

While the time-keeping and attitude of the referee were major sticking points, the most contentious issue of the night was undoubtedly the disallowed goals. The headline statistic of three goals being ruled out paints a picture of a chaotic evening, but one decision, in particular, drew De Jong’s ire: the strike by Lamine Yamal in the first half.

The goal was chalked off for offside, a decision that altered the complexion of the match. However, De Jong revealed a stunning conversation he had with the fourth official on the touchline, which contradicts the on-field decision. "The refereeing question was about the goal disallowed for Lamine Yamal in the first half," De Jong noted. "If it is offside, nothing happens, although we have been told that it was not. I spoke to the fourth official and he told me [it wasn't offside]."

De Jong pointed out that this isn't the first time Barcelona have felt aggrieved at this particular stadium. "Last year something similar happened here," he recalled. The confusion surrounding the decision added to the sense of injustice, with De Jong suggesting that even the officials on the sidelines were unsure why the goal did not stand.

Despite the fury directed at Gil Manzano, De Jong was honest enough to admit that Barcelona’s own failings in front of goal contributed to the defeat. The loss at Anoeta is a significant blow to their title aspirations, allowing the chasing pack to close the gap, with Real Madrid now a point behind after beating Levante at the weekend.

"We deserved to win," De Jong insisted, shifting focus to the football itself. "We had the chances, we lacked putting them in and their goalkeeper was very good." Indeed, Real Sociedad’s goalkeeper produced a string of fine saves to deny the visitors, frustrating the Blaugrana attack throughout the ninety minutes.