Barcelona have taken their frustrations beyond the pitch and into UEFA’s office, filing a formal complaint on Thursday regarding the officiating in their 2-0 home defeat against Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.
The controversy revolves around an incident early in the second half, where Barcelona sought a penalty after Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso seemingly restarted play from a goal kick, leading to defender Marc Pubill handling the ball in the six-yard box.
Referee Istvan Kovacs allowed the game to continue, and the VAR team opted not to call him to the monitor, eliciting a furious response from the Barcelona bench.
“Barcelona announce that the club’s legal team has lodged a complaint with UEFA today regarding the occurrences in the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Atletico Madrid,” the club stated in an official announcement on Thursday.
“The complaint pertains to a particular incident. In the 54th minute of the match, after play had been correctly restarted, an opponent player handled the ball in their own area without the appropriate penalty being awarded,” it continued.
“Barcelona believe that this decision, together with a significant lack of VAR intervention, constitutes a major error.
“As a result, the club has requested an investigation, access to refereeing communications, and, where necessary, an official acknowledgment of the errors and the implementation of the appropriate measures.”
Reactions to similar situations have differed widely. In the Champions League quarter-finals in April 2024, no penalty was awarded to Bayern Munich after Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes handled the ball following a restart from goalkeeper David Raya.
Later in 2024, VAR intervened to grant Club Brugge a penalty in a similar incident involving Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and defender Tyrone Mings.
Compiled by SportArena.au
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