Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has criticized the officials’ decisions during Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Burnley. Klopp said that the decisions are “insane” and “ridiculous”. The Reds won at Turf Moor with goals from Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota, returning them to the top of the Premier League table on Tuesday evening. However, Klopp expressed frustration over two disallowed goals for his team. The on-field referee ruled out Cody Gakpo’s first-half goal due to a foul by Darwin Nunez on Charlie Taylor. VAR upheld the decision, despite Klopp’s belief that it should have been reviewed. 
Harvey Elliott’s disallowed goal – Getty image In the second half, Harvey Elliott had a goal disallowed as Mohamed Salah was judged to have blocked the goalkeeper, while maintaining an offside position. Klopp argued that VAR missed a push on Salah by Jordan Beyer, which affected the play. Speaking after the game, Klopp left no stone unturned in his criticism of the decisions, stating, “Only somebody who has never played football can make this an offside. “It’s insane when you see that. This man, if he never played football, then it can happen where he might think, ‘Oh, offside rule, let me see, page seven, there’s somebody between him and the goalie…’ That’s a ridiculous decision.” He also questioned the consistency of referee interpretations, saying, “We all watch football and need the referees, but we need them to make the right interpretations of the rules. How can you make in this situation no goal, it’s like, wow.” Despite the contentious calls, Liverpool managed to takeaway all three points from the match, placing them two points ahead of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table.
Ancelotti speaking to Real Madrid players after a match. Source: Getty Speaking to reporters after the match, Ancelotti revealed that it came as a “surprise” as Benzema shared his decision on his future at the club on Sunday morning, hours before the final match of the season. He said; “His departure was a surprise for everyone, but you have to understand it. It was a last-minute decision. Yesterday he trained normally and today he made this decision. “We understand it. I spoke to him this morning and he said that he was leaving and I understood it. He has done very well with me in these four years and also at the club. For that all my thanks. “He has thought it through and his decision is part of the transition of this club, which continues and will continue next year. We have time to think about what we have to do. We will have a competitive squad next year. 
Ancelotti celebrating a win with Benzema. Source: Getty “I am sending him off knowing that I have coached one of the best players in the world and one of the best forwards. He is a very kind, humble and serious person. “We cannot be happy about his farewell, but we have to respect his decision. He has won the right to choose and we all thank him for what he has been able to do at this club. It has been legendary, something unforgettable, and it will remain forever in the memory of this club.” Benzema, the Ballon d’Or holder and current UEFA player of the year joined Real from Lyon in July 2009 for a reported fee of 35 million euros and has been linked with a big-money move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad. Real will now work on signing a replacement for Benzema, who is reportedly set to complete a big-money switch to Saudi Arabia. Tottenham’s Harry Kane and Napoli striker Victor Osimhen are among those being linked with a switch to the Bernabeu, with Marco Asensio and Eden Hazard following Benzema through the exits to leave Ancelotti short of options in the final third. 
Vinicius having a faceoff with Valencia fans who racially abused him. Source: Getty However, on Tuesday, May 23, the Spanish football federation’s Competition Committee said they’ve accepted Real Madrid’s complaint and rescinded Vinicius’ red card for hitting Valencia’s Hugo Duro after reviewing the video footage. In the footage the referee was shown before making the red card decision, a clip of Duro grabbing Real Madrid player around the neck with his arm was omitted. Xavi who initially offered his support to Vinicius over the racial abuse he suffered, said last night that the red card decision should have stood after the altercation with Hugo Duro. He said; “I don’t know if overturning Vinicius Junior’s red card is fair. My thoughts are that racism should be condemned. 
Barcelona Coach, Xavi Hernandez at a match in Camp Nou. Source: Getty “It’s a different thing what the players do on the pitch. There was aggression there so I am surprised that they rescinded the red card.” Xavi had previously said the game should have been stopped after the abuse. He who spoke at a press conference days ago said; “Yes, matches should be stopped. It is the only profession in which insults are accepted. I don’t see any baker or teacher being insulted at work. All this has to be stopped. Try insulting a building worker. I’m sure a brick will fall on your head. “It doesn’t matter what shirt you wear. Vinicius is a person before he is a footballer. We have to defend the football professional. I don’t understand as a person, as a citizen, that you have to put up with insults. 
Barcelona Coach, Xavi Hernandez. Source: Getty “We have to get together and get tough. It’s an educational issue. You don’t have to go to a football stadium to insult. If I go to the theatre and I don’t like the play, I leave, but I don’t insult. “We have to condemn that and educate people. We are in an environment where we are insulted and called names. It is very difficult not to bounce back. We don’t have an educated environment in the world of football.” 
The Old Lady was handed a 15-points deduction after an investigation into the club’s past transfer dealings spanning two years from 2019 to 2021 by Italian football’s governing body (FIGC). Juventus were accused of fixing their balance sheets by artificial gains of around 60m euros from club transfers, charges they were found guilty of by the FIGC’s appeals court in January. The club, however, denied any wrongdoing and took its case to a tribunal at the Olympic Committee, Italy’s highest sporting court. However, the spectre of sanction has not disappeared completely as the sporting court ruled that the case should be re-examined. The club has now moved from seventh to third in Serie A, but could still be punished at a later date when a new hearing is held. 
The long bans given to former chairman Andrea Agnelli, ex-CEO Maurizio Arrivabene, and sporting directors Federico Cherubini and Fabio Paratici were upheld. Former player and director Pavel Nedved, Paolo Garimberti, and Enrico Vellano were successful with their appeals. The Sports Guarantee Board now has a month to publish the reasoning behind its ruling, only after which the FIGC court can then reassess the case, meaning the affair will likely drag on until the end of the season. With eight games to go in the season, AC Milan has been knocked out of the Champions League places by Juve while Roma drop to fourth.