Barcelona forward Raphinha has heavily criticised the officiating during their Champions League quarter-final clash, as his team was eliminated by Atletico Madrid with a cumulative score of 3-2 on Tuesday, with both matches concluding with 10 players.
The Brazilian, who missed both fixtures due to injury, accused referees Clement Turpin, who oversaw the second match, and Istvan Kovacs, who was in charge of the first leg, of “robbing” his side.
“In my opinion, it was a robbery—not just in this match but also in the first leg,” Raphinha remarked to the media after Barcelona’s 2-1 victory on the evening proved insufficient.
“The officiating has been appalling; the decisions he (Turpin) makes are unbelievable … I genuinely want to know why there seems to be such a fear that Barcelona might win.”
Broadcast footage captured Raphinha making a grabbing motion with his hands after the final whistle, a gesture typically associated with “theft”.
“It was especially hard, particularly when you realise that you have to exert thrice the effort to secure a win,” added Raphinha.
“This tie has been misleading in many aspects. Everyone can make mistakes; we are all human. However, when those errors keep occurring in the same manner, it’s something that calls for attention.”
Reuters has reached out to UEFA for a response.
During the first leg last week, Kovacs issued a red card to Pau Cubarsi in the 42nd minute after a VAR review for tripping Giuliano Simeone as he broke free towards goal, overturning an initial yellow card.
Atletico capitalised on the resulting free-kick, with Julian Alvarez curling the ball into the top right corner, out of reach for Joan Garcia.
On Tuesday, Turpin mirrored this approach as Barcelona defender Garcia was shown a red card after a VAR review for pulling Alexander Sorloth down from behind while he was through on goal.
Barcelona had previously lodged a formal complaint, which UEFA dismissed, regarding an incident that unfolded early in the second half of the first leg.
They had appealed for a penalty after Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso appeared to restart play incorrectly from a goal kick, leading to Marc Pubill handling the ball inside the six-yard box.
Kovacs allowed play to continue, and VAR chose not to intervene, inciting outrage from the Barcelona bench.
Compiled by SportArena.au
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