Barcelona was not satisfied with the 2–0 defeat against Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal. They had some complaints about the red card shown to Pau Cubarsí in the first match, but their main issue is related to the decision not to award them a penalty in the second.
Hansi Flick was furious with VAR for not awarding a penalty to Barcelona after Marc Pubill handled the ball during a goal kick situation. The Catalans believe the ball was in play since Atletico’s goalkeeper, Juan Musso, had passed it to a teammate, but this was not the view of the main referee Istvan Kovacs nor the VAR team.
According to “MD”, Barcelona has now submitted an official complaint to UEFA. They emphasize that Pubill’s handball was a “clear violation” that leaves no room for interpretation, and therefore should have been called by either the referee or VAR.
Barcelona also mentioned precedents in their complaint, referring to a Champions League match from last season between Club Brugge and Aston Villa, where a similar incident had a different outcome. Tyrone Mings was penalized for a similar action during a goal kick, which resulted in the Belgian side being awarded a penalty.
Barcelona is aware that the result will not change because of this complaint, but they are requesting that the alleged error be acknowledged by UEFA, as well as access to the communications between Kovacs and the VAR team at “Spotify Camp Nou.” In their letter, the club also mentioned the decision not to send off Atletico’s captain, Koke Resurrección, for two challenges that deserved yellow cards.
It remains to be seen whether Barcelona’s complaint will have any effect, but for Flick and his team, there is not much they can do—except try to mount a comeback in the second leg at the “Riyadh Air Metropolitano” next week.
