Barcelona have taken their ire beyond the sidelines, formally lodging a complaint with UEFA on Thursday regarding the officiating in their 2-0 home loss to Atletico Madrid during the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final.
The controversy revolves around an incident shortly after the second half began, when Barcelona called for a penalty after Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso seemingly restarted play from a goal kick before defender Marc Pubill handled the ball inside the six-yard box.
Referee Istvan Kovacs allowed the game to continue, and the VAR officials opted not to refer him to the monitor, inciting strong reactions from the Barcelona bench.
“Barcelona would like to state that the club’s legal team has filed a complaint with UEFA today regarding the incidents that occurred during the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Atletico Madrid,” the club revealed in an official statement on Thursday.
“The complaint focuses on a particular moment. In the 54th minute, after a proper restart of play, an opposing player handled the ball within their area without a penalty being awarded,” it continued.
“Barcelona believes that this decision, coupled with a significant lack of VAR intervention, constitutes a serious mistake.
“Therefore, the club has called for an investigation, access to the refereeing communications, and, if necessary, a formal acknowledgment of the errors along with appropriate actions.”
Interpretations of similar situations have shown inconsistencies. In the Champions League quarter-finals of April 2024, a penalty was not awarded to Bayern Munich when Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes touched the ball following what seemed to be a restart by goalkeeper David Raya.
Latter in 2024, VAR did step in to award Club Brugge a penalty in a similar scenario involving Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and defender Tyrone Mings.
Compiled by SportArena.au
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