Riera, now coach of Red Star Belgrade after his brief spell on the Main, blamed German referee Florian Badstübner after a 3-2 Conference League defeat by FC Lugano. His side had led twice, but Riera took particular issue with the late penalty awarded when substitute Mahmudu Bajo held Beckham Castro. It gave the Swiss side the winner.
"I don't want to congratulate Lugano," Riera said after his team's defeat, adding: "I don't want to be suspended, but I demand that the club investigate what is happening to us. Because of the penalties, we are not playing in the Europa League. I'm not going to talk about football." He also complained: "This is my club, I want to take part in competitions. Perhaps UEFA don't want us in Europe? Then they should say why."
Red Star's European record lies at the heart of Riera's frustration. They are six points clear of their rivals and on course for the domestic title, but Europe has been a different story under the Spaniard.
Red Star Belgrade missed out on Europa League in spectacular fashion under Albert Riera
Before Riera took charge, Hapoel Beer Sheva had knocked Belgrade out in the third round of Champions League qualifying, prompting his predecessor Dejan Stankovic to step down. European competition is the yardstick for a coach in the Serbian capital. Red Star then went out of Europa League qualifying in spectacular fashion against Viktoria Pilsen under Riera. They won the first leg 3-0, only to lose the return 5-1 after extra time, with two penalties among the goals.
In the Conference League's league phase, which is somewhat shorter than those of the two bigger competitions, Red Star have no points after losing their opener. Riera, though, felt his side had been the better team for long stretches in Lugano. "At certain stages of the match, we produced a masterclass. There was only one team on the pitch," said the 44-year-old, who was "of course not satisfied" with the result. "We were not in good physical shape, I can say that. But it also hurts that the referees have now disadvantaged us in Europe for two matches. I'm frustrated and disappointed, but I'm satisfied with my boys' performance."
Belgrade controlled the match, but the Swiss side had plenty of chances. Lugano finished with 18 shots and an xGoals figure of 2.29 to 1.23.
IMAGOAlbert Riera receives job assurance as boss already sees Red Star Belgrade as champions
For now, Riera need not fear for his job. General director Zvezdan Terzic backed him after the defeat. "I can't remember the last time we produced a game as high-quality and dominant as this one. No matter who the opponents are, this is how Red Star should always play," he said, adding: "For years we have talked about wanting the Spanish style of football, with lots of passing, attacking play and high pressing, and we had all of that too."
Terzic nevertheless described the current season, "quite brazenly and arrogantly", as preparation for the 2026/27 Champions League qualifiers. After just eleven rounds of the Serbian league, he declared: "We are already champions." FC Copenhagen await in the Conference League next Thursday, but that match will not decide Riera's future. "Our stance towards Riera will not change, even if we lose to Copenhagen," Terzic made clear.
Albert Riera failed badly at Eintracht Frankfurt
Riera is extremely happy with the players at his disposal, Terzic explained: "When we were negotiating a month ago, he said he would not want to swap Red Star's squad for Eintracht Frankfurt's. That means he is very happy with the players he has." Aleksandar Katai appears to be an exception: Riera recently suspended him. The 35-year-old has made 328 appearances for Belgrade and scored 160 goals.
In Frankfurt, Riera repeatedly rubbed people up the wrong way and did not shy away from publicly criticising his own players. At one point, he sidelined key players including Mario Götze and Jonathan Burkardt. After just four wins in 14 matches and missing out on European competition, the Hessian club parted ways with Riera, who then lashed out at SGE officials Axel Hellmann and Markus Krösche.