WATCH: Claudio Echeverri on Jules Kounde decision against Barcelona – ‘I’d understand if it was given’

On-loan Manchester City winger Claudio Echeverri has admitted that he would have understood if the referee had given a foul against him for stepping on Jules Kounde’s foot ahead of their winner against Barcelona. The decision was highly controversial, with VAR deciding referee Cesar Soto did not need to take a second look at it.

Following the match, Echeverri was questioned about it, and noted that the contact was unintentional, however he did admit that it could have been given as a foul.

#GironaFC's Claudio Echeverri on the Kounde foul decision

"Yes, I was going at speed, maybe it unintentional."

"Yes, [I'd understand if a foul was given]. But nevermind, fortunately they gave us the victory."

More reaction from #Barca's playerspic.twitter.com/MWheHaYHhx

— Football España (@footballespana_) February 17, 2026

Questioned as they returned to the team bus, Kounde responded ‘of course’ [it was a foul], while Dani Olmo and Frenkie de Jong merely gave looks of exasperation.

Si las miradas hablasen…

Ojo a las caras de la plantilla culé cuando @10JoseAlvarez les pregunta por la polémica. pic.twitter.com/ZsQTh8EjfI

— El Chiringuito TV (@elchiringuitotv) February 17, 2026

Joan Garcia: “We have to commit more fouls”

Goalkeeper Joan Garcia was undoubtedly Barcelona’s best performer on the night, and he agreed that it was a foul on Kounde.

“It’s a foul, Jules gets to the ball first, but what’s most surprising is that they didn’t call the VAR official because, on the field, it’s true that you might not see it. I myself didn’t know what had happened,” MD quote.

Garcia tried to shift the emphasis away from the referee though.

“Those are things we can’t control. The truth is, we’ve conceded more than we’d like. When we lose the ball, we have to commit fouls in the opposition’s half because they commit them against us too. We do defend well from set pieces. My saves are worthless if we don’t win.”

Eric García is fine! There's no injury. [@HelenaCondis] pic.twitter.com/M1kZgiXqtS

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) February 17, 2026

Pau Cubarsi – ‘We shouldn’t criticise the referee’

In front of him, Cubarsi did his best to avoid discussing the Kounde decision.

“Everyone saw it, we’re not going to comment. People already know what happened. From inside, we couldn’t do anything. We shouldn’t criticize the referee,” he told DAZN, as quoted by MD.

Cubarsi classified their performance as ‘lacking in every aspect’, with Barcelona showing many of the same flaws that were on show against Atletico Madrid.

“We have to improve. We can’t concede two goals like that. We played a bad game. We were lacking in every aspect. It wasn’t a great match. We need to be self-critical and get our act together. After my goal, they scored very quickly, and that can’t be because it brings the opponent back into the game. Now we have a few days of rest, and we need to be self-critical, keep our heads down, and improve a few things.”

Gerard Martin – ‘The foul is clear’

Left-back Gerard Martin followed suit in acknowledging an error from the referee to MD, but criticising their performance rather than the officiating.

“It’s clear, but those are decisions we can’t control, and we have to focus on what we can control. We haven’t been good in many defensive aspects. We have to improve things. We know our style is risky, but we believe in it, and it’s non-negotiable. We have to give our best, because otherwise we could suffer.”

Manager Hansi Flick told the media after the game that he was giving his players two days off, but for Raphinha the decision still stung. He took to social media to claim that Barcelona were competing under different conditions to their opponents.

The post WATCH: Claudio Echeverri on Jules Kounde decision against Barcelona – ‘I’d understand if it was given’ appeared first on Football España.