Standing in front of reporters following Colombia's penalty shootout exit to England on Tuesday, Radamel Falcao shovelled blame for the loss at the feet of one man.
It was not Mateus Uribe or Carlos Bacca, both of whom missed their spot kicks. Instead, it was referee Marc Geiger. Falcao felt the American had edged the game in England's favour.
"I found it peculiar that they put an American referee in this instance," the Colombian captain told ESPN.
"To tell you the truth, the process leaves a lot of doubts. He only spoke English, some bias was certain. Through small calls he was pushing us [toward] our goal, that was clear for me."
Colombia were whistled for 23 fouls during the game - ten more than England. They also received the large majority of the eight yellow cards shown. Though, one of those should have been red. An overreaction it may have produced from Jordan Henderson but Wilmar Barrios should have been sent-off for making contact with the Liverpool midfielder with his head late in the first half.
"The referee disturbed us a lot, in the 50-50 plays, he always made the calls in favour of England," said Falcao.
"This situation was undermining us. He didn't act with the same criteria for both teams.
"When in doubt he always went to the England side. It's shameful that this happens in the round of 16 of a World Cup."
Picture credit: Shutterstock.com
