SOCCER: Barcelona lodge UEFA complaint after Atletico defeat

Barcelona have formally lodged a complaint with UEFA over the officiating in their 2-0 home defeat to Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Thursday, the club confirmed.

The dispute centres on an incident early in the second half when Barcelona appealed for a penalty. Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso appeared to have restarted play from a goal kick before defender Marc Pubill handled the ball inside the six-yard box as the sequence continued. Referee Istvan Kovacs allowed play to continue, and the VAR team did not intervene or recommend a review.

The decision sparked strong protests from Barcelona’s bench, with the club later taking formal action regarding the incident.

In an official statement, Barcelona said their legal department had submitted a complaint to UEFA regarding the match, specifically focusing on the 54th-minute play. The club argued that after play had been correctly restarted, an opposing player handled the ball in the penalty area without a spot kick being awarded.

Barcelona added that they believe the decision, along with what they described as a lack of VAR intervention, represented a major officiating error. The club has requested that UEFA open an investigation, release relevant refereeing communications, and consider appropriate corrective measures if necessary.

The controversy has drawn comparisons to similar incidents in recent European competitions, where interpretations of handball and restart situations have varied. In the 2024 Champions League quarter-finals, Bayern Munich were denied a penalty in a comparable situation against Arsenal, while later that year, VAR did intervene to award Club Brugge a spot kick in a similar phase of play involving Aston Villa.

UEFA has not yet publicly responded to Barcelona’s complaint. -Reporting by Fernando KallasEditing by Christian Radnedge/Reuters