Barcelona’s head coach Hansi Flick expressed his outrage over the decision not to review a peculiar handball situation that occurred during his team’s 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday.
During the match, Atletico defender Marc Pubill handled the ball that had been passed to him by goalkeeper Juan Musso in order to prepare for a self-taken goal kick. Flick contended that this action warranted both a red card and a penalty.
In the first half, VAR intervened, prompting referee Istvan Kovacs to assess an incident where Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsi received a yellow card for bringing down Giuliano Simeone as he surged towards goal.
After the review, Cubarsi was shown a red card, leaving Barcelona to continue the match with ten players for the second half.
“The VAR has been quite favourable for Atletico today. Thank you to Germany,” remarked Flick, a former coach of the German national team, when speaking to the media. “For me, it’s a straightforward red card.”
In a similar situation, Aston Villa’s Tyrone Mings faced sanctions for a handball in a Champions League defeat against Club Brugge in 2024.
Flick added that the VAR officials should have advised Kovacs to review the incident in question.
“From my viewpoint, it’s quite clear; he needed to step in and say, ‘Look at this, just like before.’ I don’t comprehend it,” Flick continued.
“I haven’t had a chat with the referee. I think it’s probably best not to do so.”
“We need to accept the situation and concentrate on the match next Tuesday against Atletico. We possess the quality and the players capable of influencing the game, and we must put up a fight.”
Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo described the situation as “absurd but undeniably a penalty.”
Conversely, Atletico’s coach Diego Simeone supported the officials’ decision not to interfere.
“There’s an element of common sense involved,” the Argentine stated.
“If Marc, who was meant to be receiving a pass to initiate the play, interpreted it as he did, and the referee saw it the same way, it’s simply about common sense regarding the situation.“
Goals from Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth granted Atletico a formidable lead as they head into the second leg next Tuesday in the Spanish capital.
Compiled by SportArena.au
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