Barcelona interim president explains complaint to UEFA on refereeing: ‘It reflects our indignation’ | OneFootball

Barcelona’s defeat to Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League and their subsequent elimination from the competition arose due to a combination of several factors.

One factor that cannot be ignored, however, is the disastrous refereeing performance in both legs of the game, which directly impacted the Blaugrana’s chances on the night.

After all, Barcelona had two dicey red-card calls go against them while Los Rojiblancos were left spotless despite having a clear handball inside their box, clear penalty-worth challenges on Dani Olmo and Fermin Lopez and several booking-worthy challenges spared.

Yuste’s message

Barcelona’s interim president, Rafa Yuste, spoke to the media recently, where he explained why the club proceeded with a formal complaint to UEFA over the refereeing standards.

“We wanted a formal complaint to UEFA for the qualifier that has left us out of the Champions League, serious mistakes that we wanted to convey in this statement, which are very well exposed and that we believe do not conform to the rules of football,” he said.

“They have caused us serious economic and sporting damage, hence it reflects our indignation at UEFA,” Yuste added.

Explaining what the board hoped to gain from the recently filed complaint, Yuste said,

“We do it from a constructive point of view. Despite the elimination, we wanted to convey to UEFA that things have to be done better.”

Barcelona have filed a complaint with UEFA over the refereeing. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

“We believe that having six officials on the field during a match shouldn’t result in so many mistakes, and therefore, we believe this does a great deal of harm to the game.

“We don’t understand how, with a VAR room in place, blatant fouls aren’t called as we believe they should be,” he added.

Urging his team forward despite the disappointment in Europe this season, Yuste asked his side to focus on the positives and keep their head held high, saying:

“We always have to look forward, it’s one thing to defend our institution, and it’s another to look forward. The team played brilliant football, with a very young group, and now it’s time to look forward.”

Finally, the acting president gave his opinion on Barcelona’s eternal chase for another UEFA Champions League title and how it will come to fruition sooner rather than later.

“It’s a message of pride. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen the fans stay on the field, no matter what happens, to applaud their players,” Yuste said.

“And this is a tremendous sense of unity between the team and the fans – something we haven’t seen in a long time.”

“It’s a young team, deeply committed to the club, and I’m convinced that they’ll soon lift the Champions League trophy and fight until the very end to bring it home,” he concluded.

Source: Mundo Deportivo