Aymeric Laporte blames refereeing for missed Champions Leagues

Aymeric Laporte said in an interview with Sam Lee that refereeing decisions have cost Manchester City multiple UEFA Champions League titles. He claimed the club could have won five Champions Leagues in six years. He cited the Fernando Llorente handball against Tottenham in 2019 as a key example. Laporte also mentioned a handball call on Gabriel Jesus that led to a penalty miss against Tottenham. He added a missed penalty by Sergio Aguero and contentious off‑side decisions against Liverpool. He described these moments as “trauma” and said they repeat each season. Laporte reflected that he won five Premier League titles and one UEFA Champions League during his five‑and‑a‑half seasons at Manchester City. He said he regretted leaving the club in 2023 after describing the environment as the best he had experienced. He said the 2023 Champions League win was shared with Pep Guardiola in a moment of pure joy. He added that his departure for Al Nassr came after the 2023 Champions League triumph, which he described as a release of accumulated pain. Laporte concluded that the perceived injustices continue to haunt him.