New footage has surfaced showing Virgil van Dijk firmly responding to a Paris Saint-Germain official inside the Parc des Princes tunnel.
Van Dijk, who captained Liverpool on Wednesday night in their UEFA Champions League round of 16 first-leg clash against PSG, led his side to a hard-fought 1-0 victory. Despite being under pressure for most of the game, Liverpool secured the win thanks to an outstanding performance from goalkeeper Alisson Becker and Harvey Elliott’s late goal in the 87th minute.
During the first half, Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate faced a tense VAR review after a challenge on Bradley Barcola, who was through on goal. However, the review concluded there was no clear and obvious error from the referee, allowing play to continue.
Now, newly released footage from the stadium tunnel reveals PSG Football Advisor Luis Campos furiously protesting the decision. Campos was heard shouting, “Red card or penalty!”
Van Dijk quickly responded, saying, “Come on, bro, it’s not Ligue 1, bro. Hey, it’s not Ligue 1.”
Campos, undeterred, continued his protests, repeating, “It’s a red card or penalty.”
Former FIFA referee Christina Unkel later weighed in on CBS Sports, stating that Konate should have been sent off for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO). She explained, “I disagree with the referee and VAR on this one. This should have been recommended as a red card. The contact occurred outside the penalty area, which falls under DOGSO criteria.”
She further added, “All DOGSO considerations were met, so I would have expected a penalty and VAR intervention if it wasn’t called on the field.”
Konate, however, defended himself in an interview with Canal+, saying, “VAR checked the incident. If there was a foul, I would have been shown a red card. I’m strong, but I didn’t use excessive force. I only put my arm out, and if I had used more power, then it would be a different conversation. But it was a soft challenge.”