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Referee Deniz Aytekin Set To Be Punished By UEFA

Referee Deniz Aytekin Set To Be Punished By UEFA

The German ref was the center of attention

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar

Sergi Roberto's last-gasp winner and Neymar's brilliance weren't the only talking points from Wednesday nights thrilling Champions League encounter, as referee Deniz Aytekin also stole some of the spotlight.

Luis Enrique's charges produced a heroic performance as they secured their spot in the quarter-finals of the Champions League despite trailing by four goals from the first leg.

(Here's the brilliant reaction from the BT Sport pundits following the 95th minute winner. This is a must watch:)

(Video via BT Sports)

Barcelona completed the greatest European comeback following goals from Suarez, an OG, Messi, Neymar (x2) then local lad Roberto. But Aytekin's decision to award the second penalty came under intense scrutiny.

The German pointed to the spot for the second time of the night giving Barca the chance to make the score 5-1. And Neymar duly obliged by coolly tucking away the penalty.

(Aytekin issues Suarez a yellow card for diving)

But the awarding of the spot kick was furiously protested by the Paris Saint-Germain players who thought Suarez went down under very little contact. The replays would suggest that.

And a few days removed from the insane last round of 16 tie, it appears UEFA, and in particular Pierluigi Collina (UEFA's head of refereeing), is set to demote Aytekin, according to Marca.

(Barca players claim for a penalty with Aytekin watching on)

The formidable Italian is responsible for assigning officials to the various fixtures in the Champions League and Europa League alongside his team of collaborators.

What's more, the Spanish outlet "understands that his prospects of officiating another Champions League fixture this season do not look good."

Though the panel are unlikely to impose any financial sanctions with the most likely scenarios being a demotion to lesser games or to simply be removed from action for a period of time.

(H/T Marca)

Featured Image Credit:

Topics: Barcelona, PSG, Champions League