I feel like an animal – Sokratis hits out at UEFA´s treatment of Dortmund

Sokratis criticised UEFA over their treatment of Borussia Dortmund, with the defender saying he felt like an “animal” following Wednesday’s rescheduled Champions League fixture.

Dortmund hosted Monaco and lost 3-2 in the first leg of their quarter-final tie, less than 24 hours after the original match was postponed when the German club were rocked by explosions en route to Signal Iduna Park.

The team’s bus was hit by an explosion as they were leaving their hotel for the stadium on Tuesday, with defender Marc Bartra requiring surgery on a broken wrist.

With emotions still high as Sokratis and his team-mates counted their blessings, the Greece international hit out at Europe’s governing body.

“I am happy first that I am alive,” Sokratis told ESPN FC. “It was the most difficult day that I have lived in my life and I hope that nobody else has to live this day. After Tuesday I don’t have any more space to think about the game.

“They [UEFA] have to understand that we are not animals. We are people who have families, who have kids in the house. And we are not animals. I am happy that all the players are alive, and all the staff are alive.

“It is very difficult to think to go and play football. For everybody, it is very difficult to go to work after yesterday [Tuesday]. I hope that what happened to us, never happens to anyone else. I hope that was the last time.

“We will speak with our president and with our coach. But we don’t have any solutions. I feel like what I said before: I feel like an animal and not like a person. Who doesn’t live this can’t understand how big it was for us.”