Barcelona filed a formal complaint to UEFA over refereeing decisions in their 2-0 Champions League loss to Atletico Madrid.
The complaint centers on an unpenalized handball by an Atletico player in the 54th minute, which Barcelona argues VAR should have reviewed.
Barcelona claims such refereeing errors have repeatedly disadvantaged them in recent Champions League editions, creating an unfair competitive environment.
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Barcelona have taken the extraordinary step of filing a formal complaint to UEFA following their controversial 2-0 Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid. The Catalan giants are furious over what they describe as "incomprehensible refereeing" in a match defined by a bizarre handball incident that went unpunished. Barca demand answers from UEFA Barca have confirmed the complaint to UEFA in an official statement, which reads: "Barcelona announces that, today, the Club's legal department has filed a formal complaint with UEFA regarding the events that occurred in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal against Atletico de Madrid. The Club believes that the referee's performance was contrary to the regulations in force, directly impacting the course of the match and its outcome. "The complaint focuses on a specific incident. In the 54th minute of the match, after play had properly restarted, an opposing player handled the ball inside the penalty area, yet no penalty was awarded. FC Barcelona believes this decision, along with the serious failure of VAR to intervene, constitutes a significant error. Consequently, the club has requested an investigation, access to the referee's communications, and, if necessary, official acknowledgment of the errors and the implementation of appropriate measures. "In this same vein, FC Barcelona believes that this is not the first time that, in recent editions of the UEFA Champions League, incomprehensible refereeing decisions have seriously harmed the team, creating a clear comparative disadvantage and preventing them from competing on equal terms with other clubs." The bizarre handball controversy At the heart of Barca's fury is an incident in the 54th minute involving Atletico substitute Marc Pubill. After goalkeeper Juan Musso played a short goal-kick, the ball was technically in play when Pubill deliberately stopped it with his hand and rolled it back to his keeper, seemingly believing it had not yet been live. De
The UEFA Champions League (UCL or UEFA CL), commonly known as the Champions League, is an annual club association football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by top-division European clubs. The competition begins with a round robin league ph...
International governing body for association football in Europe
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA yoo-AY-fə; French: Union des associations européennes de football; German: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach football in Europe and t...
Barcelona is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.7 million within city limits, its urban area extends to numerous neighbouring municip...
Barcelona have taken the extraordinary step of filing a formal complaint to UEFA following their controversial 2-0 Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid. The Catalan giants are furious over what they describe as "incomprehensible refereeing" in a match defined by a bizarre handball incident that went unpunished. Barca demand answers from UEFA Barca have confirmed the complaint to UEFA in an official statement, which reads: "Barcelona announces that, today, the Club's legal department has filed a formal complaint with UEFA regarding the events that occurred in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal against Atletico de Madrid. The Club believes that the referee's performance was contrary to the regulations in force, directly impacting the course of the match and its outcome. "The complaint focuses on a specific incident. In the 54th minute of the match, after play had properly restarted, an opposing player handled the ball inside the penalty area, yet no penalty was awarded. FC Barcelona believes this decision, along with the serious failure of VAR to intervene, constitutes a significant error. Consequently, the club has requested an investigation, access to the referee's communications, and, if necessary, official acknowledgment of the errors and the implementation of appropriate measures. "In this same vein, FC Barcelona believes that this is not the first time that, in recent editions of the UEFA Champions League, incomprehensible refereeing decisions have seriously harmed the team, creating a clear comparative disadvantage and preventing them from competing on equal terms with other clubs." The bizarre handball controversy At the heart of Barca's fury is an incident in the 54th minute involving Atletico substitute Marc Pubill. After goalkeeper Juan Musso played a short goal-kick, the ball was technically in play when Pubill deliberately stopped it with his hand and rolled it back to his keeper, seemingly believing it had not yet been live. De
