Sheriff Tiráspol’s coach, Yuri Vernidub, was unhappy on Wednesday with the refereeing against Real Madrid in the Champions League, especially in the foul that led to the first goal of the game, the work of David Alaba from a direct free kick. “It wasn’t a foul. My player got to the ball first. I don’t usually say it, but it’s clear that Real Madrid is a great club. If it had been the other way around, I wouldn’t have called a foul in favor of the Sheriff.” he said during the press conference at the Stadion Sheriff referring to the action that led to the 0-1.
Be that as it may, he was satisfied with the performance of his players, to whom he said that he does not have to “reproach anything” despite the final result (0-3). “We lost by three goals to zero. It’s a shame. But I think we played better than in Madrid, although we won 1-2 there,” he said. In his opinion, the fact that the white team traveled to Tiráspol with “all its troops, with its best players”, shows that “Real Madrid respected the Sheriff”. “There is no panic or disappointment,” he said. In turn, he issued a harsh criticism of the Super League project by assuring that “the Champions League should be for everyone.” “The good thing is that teams like the Sheriff come to the Champions League. This competition means a lot for clubs like ours,” he said.
Vernidub warned that “if only teams like Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern or Manchester United play in the Super League, then small clubs will not be able to develop and popularize football.” As for his future, he recalled that he has a contract until 2022, but that “he is not an exception” when it comes to aspiring to lead a more important club than the Sheriff, who will play the Europa League in February.