Barcelona have filed a formal complaint with UEFA following their 2-0 Champions League quarter-final first leg defeat to Atletico Madrid at Camp Nou on Wednesday, accusing match officials of a refereeing performance that affected the result.
The incident that triggered the complaint came in the 54th minute. Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso played a short goal-kick, bringing the ball into play, at which point substitute Marc Pubill stopped it with his hand and rolled it back to his keeper, seemingly unaware that play had already resumed.
Referee Istvan Kovacs, a Romanian official, allowed the kick to be retaken without taking any action. VAR operator Christian Dingert did not intervene either.
Barcelona argued it was a clear penalty and, given that Pubill already had a yellow card, should also have resulted in a second booking and a red card.
Through an official statement, Barcelona demanded an investigation into the referee, full access to communications between Kovacs and the VAR room, and, where errors are confirmed, an official acknowledgement and appropriate action.
The club also pointed to a broader pattern, per their statement, insisting that refereeing decisions in recent Champions League campaigns have repeatedly gone against them and created a disadvantage compared to other clubs.
The defeat was already complicated before the handball incident. Defender Pau Cubarsi was sent off in the 44th minute following a VAR review, and Julian Alvarez scored from a free-kick before Alexander Sorloth added a second in the 70th minute.
Barcelona face the second leg at Atletico’s Metropolitano stadium next week, needing to overturn a two-goal deficit to stay in the competition.
