It was the 54th minute of the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final between Barcelona and Atlético Madrid when the Catalans could no longer make sense of the football world.
Atlético’s Marc Pubill had placed the ball with his hand after a low goal kick from goalkeeper Juan Musso in order to take the goal kick again. Despite the clear handball, Istvan Kovacs allowed play to continue, and VAR did not intervene either.
Even though no penalty had been awarded in a similar incident between Arsenal and Bayern in 2024, FC Barcelona lodged a protest against the decision this evening.
An official statement from the club reads: "The club’s legal department today filed a complaint with UEFA regarding the events in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Atlético Madrid. The club believes that the refereeing did not comply with the applicable rules and therefore had a direct impact on the course of the match and the result."
Furthermore, the Catalans requested access to the referee communication and, if necessary, an official acknowledgment of the errors as well as the adoption of appropriate measures.
How UEFA will respond to the protest remains to be seen. In any case, a quick decision is needed. The two teams will meet again next Tuesday in the second leg of the quarter-final, kicking off at 9 pm.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.
