FC Barcelona has filed an official complaint with UEFA regarding the refereeing decisions during their 2-0 defeat to Atlético Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie last Wednesday.
The Catalan club believes they were denied a penalty that could also have resulted in a red card for Atlético Madrid defender Mark Poppell.
The bizarre incident occurred with Atlético leading 1-0 at the Camp Nou through a goal by Julián Álvarez, after Pau Coparci had been sent off for the home side. Alexander Sørloth later added a second goal in the 70th minute, sealing a victory for Diego Simeone’s team ahead of the second leg at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Popell, who was already on a yellow card, stopped the ball with his hand after Atlético goalkeeper Juan Musso appeared to have restarted play with a goal kick. Barcelona players were furious at the time, demanding a penalty, but referee Istvan Kovac did not award it, and VAR (Video Assistant Referee) Christian Dingert did not intervene.
A statement from the Catalan club read: “The club’s legal services have filed a formal complaint with UEFA regarding the events of the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Atlético Madrid. The club believes that there was refereeing conduct contrary to the current regulations, which directly influenced the course and outcome of the match.”
The statement continued: “The complaint focuses on a specific incident; in the 54th minute, after play had properly restarted, an opposing player handled the ball inside the penalty area, but no penalty was awarded. Barcelona considers this decision, along with the complete absence of VAR intervention, to be a serious error.”
The club has requested an investigation, access to recordings of the referees’ communications, an official acknowledgment of the errors, and the implementation of necessary measures. It also noted that this is not the first time the team has been subjected to “incomprehensible” refereeing decisions in recent editions of the tournament.
