Official: Barcelona file complaint with UEFA over controversial refereeing in Atletico clash | OneFootball

In an official statement, FC Barcelona have announced that they have filed a formal complaint with UEFA over the improper refereeing during their game against Atletico Madrid earlier this week.

The Blaugrana suffered a 0-2 loss to Atleti in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie at the Spotify Camp Nou. However, the game was marred by several controversial decisions made by referee Istvan Kovacs.

Perhaps, the biggest of them was his decision to ignore a blatant handball by Marc Pubill in Atletico’s box and not show him a second yellow card and not award a penalty to Barcelona.

Frustrated by what went down, Barça have now taken action.

“FC Barcelona announces that, today, the Club’s legal department has filed a formal complaint with UEFA regarding the events that occurred in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Atletico Madrid,” the statement read.

“The Club believes that the referee’s performance was contrary to the regulations in force, directly impacting the course of the match and its outcome.”

Citing the Pubill incident as the major grievance, Barcelona added in their statement:

“The complaint focuses on a specific incident. In the 54th minute of the match, after play had properly restarted, an opposing player handled the ball inside the penalty area, yet no penalty was awarded.

“FC Barcelona believes this decision, along with the serious failure of VAR to intervene, constitutes a significant error.”

As such, the Catalans have asked for an investigation into the decision as well as access to the communication between the referee and the VAR, along with an acknowledgement of the mistakes.

“Consequently, the club has requested an investigation, access to the referee’s communications, and, if necessary, official acknowledgment of the errors and the implementation of appropriate measures,” the statement continued.

Concluding, Barcelona noted that this was not the first time that the team had been harmed by poor officiating in Champions League matches.

“In this same vein, FC Barcelona believes that this is not the first time that, in recent editions of the UEFA Champions League, incomprehensible refereeing decisions have seriously harmed the team, creating a clear comparative disadvantage and preventing them from competing on equal terms with other clubs.”