Barcelona have filed a complaint to UEFA about some of the refereeing decisions that took place during their Champions League quarterfinal tie against Atletico Madrid, arguing the officiating “had a direct impact on the course of the matches and on the final outcome of the tie.”
Hansi Flick’s side lost to Atletico Madrid 4-3 on aggregate and received a red card in each of the two legs, with Pau Cubarsi getting sent off just before halftime of the first leg and Eric Garcia receiving the same punishment towards the end of Tuesday’s second leg.
“The club considers that, across both legs of the tie, several refereeing decisions were made that did not comply with the Laws of the Game, resulting from an incorrect application of the regulations and a lack of appropriate intervention by the VAR system in incidents of clear significance,” the club said in a statement on Thursday. “Through this complaint, the Club reiterates the requests previously made to UEFA and, at the same time, offers to collaborate with the organisation with the aim of improving the refereeing system to ensure a more rigorous, fair and transparent application of the Laws of the Game.”
Barcelona did not pick out specific incidents in their statement but Flick openly complained about a decision in the 53rd minute of last week’s first leg, when Atleti only had a 1-0 advantage. His side wanted a penalty for a stomp by Atleti goalkeeper Juan Musso on Barcelona attacker Marcus Rashford, though the incident was not reviewed by the VAR team. Flick argued it should have been, and that Musso should have been sent off along the way.
“They deserved a red card, the goalkeeper played the ball, it’s clear. Clear play and he stopped it with the hand, which is a yellow and a penalty normally for me,” Flick said on the UEFA Champions League Today post-match show. “He has the ball here, he played it, and for me it’s clear that he started the game. For me, it’s clear.”
It is unclear if this complaint will result in any action by UEFA, who have not issued a response at this time.
Atleti will go on to play Arsenal in the Champions League semifinals as they target their first trip to the final since 2016 and potentially their first title.
