UEFA rejects Barcelona’s appeal regarding penalty not awarded in Atlético loss

UEFA has deemed Barcelona’s complaint regarding the officiating in last week’s Champions League quarterfinal defeat to Atlético Madrid as “inadmissible.”

Barça submitted a formal grievance to the governing body of European football, asserting that a penalty should have been awarded when Marc Pubill handled the ball after goalkeeper Juan Musso seemingly restarted play with a goal kick.

UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) has since evaluated Barça’s claims and concluded that there is no case to address.

“Following the UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg between Barcelona and Atlético, Barcelona lodged a protest concerning a referee decision,” a brief statement released on Tuesday stated.

“The UEFA Control Ethics and Disciplinary Body has ruled the protest to be inadmissible.”

Barça coach Hansi Flick expressed his frustration after the match, which concluded with a 2-0 win for Atlético, stating that Pubill should have received a red card—having already been cautioned with a yellow—and that his team should have been awarded a penalty.

The unusual incident occurred at 1-0 after Julián Álvarez had put Atlético ahead at Spotify Camp Nou following Pau Cubarsí’s red card.

Alexander Sørloth scored the second goal in the 70th minute, placing Atlético in a strong position as they head into Tuesday’s second leg at the Metropolitano.

Addressing his team’s comeback effort in Madrid on Monday, Flick mentioned that he had moved past the frustration caused by last week’s decision and expressed confidence in the referee appointed for the return match, Clément Turpin.

“I am calm now,” he remarked. “I have had enough time. [Turpin] is an experienced referee. No doubts.”

The victor of this matchup will face either Arsenal or Sporting CP in the semifinal.