BARCELONA lodged an official complaint to Uefa following last night’s Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid.
Hansi Flick‘s side lost 2-0 to Atletico on home turf in their quarter-final first leg.
Barca chiefs were left furious with the standard of refereeing on display from Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs.
Pau Cubarsi was sent off following a VAR check in the first half for bringing down Giuliano Simeone as the last man.
The decision that irked the home side more, however, happened eight minutes into the second half.
Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso kicked the ball to defender Marc Pubill.
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Pubill stopped the ball with his hand, in order to take the goal kick back to Musso.
This enraged Barca’s players, who felt that Musso had already taken the goal kick and that therefore Pubill had handballed.
Neither Kovacs nor the VAR saw fit to intervene and the game continued.
Barcelona have since released a statement confirming that they have consulted their lawyers and submitted an official complaint to Uefa.
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Barcelona’s statement in full
FC Barcelona inform that the Club legal services have submitted a complaint to UEFA today regarding the events in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg against Atlético Madrid. The Club considers that the refereeing did not adhere to the current law, directly influencing how the game progressed and the result.
The complaint centres around a specific action. In the 54th minute of the match, after play had been restarted correctly, an opponent player picked up the ball in their area without being shown the corresponding penalty. FC Barcelona understands that this decision, along with a grave lack of intervention by VAR, represents a major error. Accordingly, the Club has requested an investigation be opened, access to refereeing communications, and where applicable, official acknowledgment of the errors and the adoption of the relevant measures.
Along these same lines, FC Barcelona consider that this is not the first time in recent editions of the UEFA Champions League that unfathomable refereeing decisions have had a detrimental effect on the team, creating a clear double standard and preventing competing against other clubs on a level playing field.
Citing the Pubill incident, the statement alleged that officials made a “major error” and demanded that a formal investigation be launched, while also asking for “access to refereeing communications” and an “official acknowledgement of the errors”.
Barca then claimed that this was “not the first time in recent editions of the Champions League that unfathomable refereeing decisions have had a detrimental effect on the team”.
They concluded their statement by claiming that they had been prevented from competing “on a level playing field”.
English sides have experienced similar incidents to the Pubill scenario in recent years.
In April 2024, then-Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel was left enraged after Arsenal defender Gabriel got away with a “handball” during a goal kick routine with David Raya.
Tuchel said at the time: “The referee did not have the courage today to give us a deserved penalty, in a bit of a crazy and awkward situation.”
Last season, Aston Villa star Tyrone Mings did concede a penalty in a similar situation.
The incident occurred during a Champions League defeat at Club Brugge.
Last night, Barca boss Flick went one further by also claiming that Pubill, who had already been booked, should have been sent off.
The German boss told CBS Sports: “I think they deserved the red card. The goalkeeper plays the ball, it’s clear play and he stops it with the hand.
“It’s a double yellow and it’s a red card and a penalty normally for me.”
Barca will face Atletico again in next Tuesday’s second leg in the Spanish capital.