German FA applauds referee Deniz Aytekin's performance

The questionable performance of German-Turkish referee Deniz Aytekin during last night's nail-biting Champions League return leg between Barça and PSG didn't go amiss in Germany. Just hours after the Azulgranas' epic 6-1 comeback, the German Football Federation (DFB) gave a favourable verdict on the match official's game. Sources at the DFB told AS that Aytekin's performance at Camp Nou was "very good" and justified his decision to award a penalty for a foul on Luis Suárez on 90 minutes saying that the infringement complied with the regulations.

Referee Aytekin refuses to comment on Barcelona game

Aytekin himself prefers to keep a low profile and refuses to make any comments about his performance or the criticism he has received - in line with UEFA rules which prohibit referees from making declarations, but a number of pundits in Germany have aired their feelings. Lothar Matthäus said: "It was never a penalty on Suárez", while Robert Lewandowski's Bundesliga agent Maik Barthel was more scathing, saying: "That Aytekin blew for a penalty is scandalous". Elsewhere on Twitter, another commentator noted: “Everyone knows that Barcelona's miracle was only possible thanks to Deniz Aytekin. I think he can probably forget about taking holidays in France for the rest of his life...“

German press criticizes Aytekin

The German press was no less forgiving with daily Tagesspiegel running the headline: "Aytekin helped Barcelona's comeback. Prestigious newspaper Handelsblatt added: "Aytekin, under the microscope after Barça's 6-1 win" while 11Freunde described the Suárez penalty as "a joke - a bad one at that" and went on to add: ”It was a brutal decision, the referee Deniz Aytekin was conned by Luis Suárez and clearly could not tolerate any more whinging and theatrics from the Uruguayan".