Barcelona submits new UEFA grievance regarding Champions League officials.
BARCELONA, Spain — Barcelona has lodged a second complaint with UEFA, asserting that the standards of officiating were not upheld during their Champions League quarterfinal elimination against Atlético Madrid.
The Spanish champions are not accepting their exit passively, claiming that mistakes made by the officials throughout both matches of the tie have resulted in “significant sporting and financial damage to the club.”
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Atlético triumphed in the quarterfinal with a 3-2 aggregate score, advancing to face Premier League team Arsenal in the semifinals.
“The club has submitted a complaint to UEFA concerning the refereeing performance in the Champions League matches against Atlético,” Barça stated in a release on Thursday.
“The club believes that, throughout both matches of the tie, numerous refereeing decisions were made that did not adhere to the Laws of the Game, stemming from an incorrect application of the rules and insufficient intervention by the VAR system in incidents of clear importance.
“The accumulation of these mistakes had a direct effect on the matches’ progression and the final result of the tie, causing significant sporting and financial damage to the club.
“Through this complaint, the club reiterates its previous requests to UEFA and simultaneously offers to collaborate with the organization to enhance the refereeing system, ensuring a more rigorous, fair, and transparent application of the Laws of the Game.”
Barça had previously submitted a complaint to UEFA after the first leg, arguing that a penalty and red card should have been issued when defender Marc Pubill, already booked, handled the ball after goalkeeper Juan Musso appeared to have restarted play.
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Earlier this week, UEFA deemed that protest “inadmissible.”
In their most recent statement, Barça did not specify which decisions they considered incorrect, but president Joan Laporta provided a detailed list of complaints following Tuesday’s knockout.
Laporta criticized the red cards issued in both matches — Pau Cubarsí in the first leg and Eric García in the second — asserting they should have been yellow cards; that Dani Olmo should have received a penalty; that Ferran Torres’ offside goal should not have been disallowed; and that action should have been taken regarding Musso injuring Fermín López’s lip with his boot.
“The officiating was a disgrace,” the Barça president told reporters earlier this week.
“We filed a complaint after the first leg, and UEFA labeled it ‘inadmissible.’ We will seek further clarification. The club will also submit another complaint because what is inadmissible is what occurred to us on Tuesday once again.”
