Xavi brutally rejects Luis Enrique request after Barcelona collapse vs PSG

Xavi brutally rejected Luis Enrique's request following Barcelona's Champions League elimination to Paris Saint-Germain.

Enrique got the better of his old side as PSG advanced to the next round of the Champions League.

The French giants beat Barca 4-1 on the night and 6-4 on aggregate to book a showdown against Borussia Dortmund for a spot in the final.

Ronald Araujo, who made a gesture, was shown a straight red card for his foul on Bradley Barcola - a decision which was bemoaned by Ilkay Gundogan, who held nothing back in a ruthless post-match interview.

Araujo's dismissal turned the European tie on its head as PSG completed the comeback.

Xavi rued the match referee's decision to send off Araujo while Enrique claims PSG would have won even without the red card.

A reporter told Xavi about Enrique's claim and said the PSG boss wanted him to stay on as Barca coach for 'many years'.

The journalist said: "Luis Enrique said that even without the red card PSG would have won anyway and he hopes you will be the coach of Barcelona for many years, what do you say?"

To which he replied: "I say no to both."

Xavi will step down as Barca manager at the end of the season, having returned to the club following his legendary stint as a player.

He won the La Liga title last season, but they trail Real Madrid by eight points this campaign.

And the Catalan giants will go another season without the prestigious Champions League.

Xavi and Luis Enrique on the touchline for Barcelona vs. Paris Saint-Germain. Image: Getty

On Araujo's sending off, Xavi said: "The decision completely changed the game. It was too much to give a red card.

"I told the referee his performance was very bad. He was a disaster. He killed the tie."

The 44-year-old added: "We were upset and very angry. With eleven against eleven we were well organised. We almost equalised through Gundogan and the 2-0 with Robert Lewandowski would have change it too. We had clear chances, but we were always trailing because with ten men it's very difficult.

"It's a shame that the work of a season is finished because of a refereeing decision. I would have liked to play eleven against eleven every minute. This sending off is unnecessary."

Topics: Xavi, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, Football, Luis Enrique

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Darren Till. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.

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