Barcelona file formal complaint with UEFA over Champions League exit

Barcelona Files Second Complaint with UEFA Over Champions League Quarterfinals

UEFA has rejected Barcelona’s second appeal over refereeing decisions in their Champions League quarterfinal loss to Atletico Madrid. The Spanish club had lodged a complaint with the governing body, citing several alleged errors in the officiating of both legs of the tie.

According to Barcelona, several refereeing decisions did not comply with the Laws of the Game, resulting from incorrect applications of regulations and inadequate intervention by the VAR system in significant incidents. The club claims that these errors had a direct impact on the course of the matches and ultimately led to their defeat.

Barcelona’s complaint includes two potential penalty situations that did not trigger VAR intervention, as well as alleged errors in other refereeing decisions. The club has reiterated its previous requests to UEFA, offering to collaborate with the organization to improve the refereeing system and ensure a more rigorous, fair, and transparent application of regulations.

In their initial complaint, Barcelona had also appealed over a handball incident involving Atletico defender Marc Pubill in the first leg, which was rejected by UEFA as “inadmissible”. The governing body has now rejected Barcelona’s second appeal, leaving the club to seek alternative avenues for resolving the dispute.

Source: Al Jazeera