Barcelona has expressed that refereeing "errors" were a significant factor in their failure to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League, claiming these mistakes have resulted in "significant sporting and financial harm to the club." In response, the club has lodged a second complaint with UEFA regarding the officiating during their quarter-final tie against Atletico Madrid.

Controversial Decisions in Quarter-Final Tie

In their aggregate defeat of 3-2 to Atletico Madrid, Barcelona faced the challenge of having a player sent off in both legs of the tie. Despite winning the second leg 2-1, they could not overcome the 2-0 deficit from the first match. In both instances, the referees upgraded yellow cards to red after being instructed to review potential denial of a goalscoring opportunity at the pitchside monitor. Pau Cubarsi was shown a red card by Istvan Kovacs in the first leg, while Eric Garcia received his marching orders from Clement Turpin in the second leg.

Criticism of Refereeing Standards

Barcelona's complaints also targeted the officiating during the matches, particularly criticizing Kovacs and video assistant referee (VAR) Christian Dingert for allowing play to continue after Atletico defender Marc Pubill handled the ball in his own penalty area. Following the first leg, Barcelona had already protested what they described as a "grave lack of VAR intervention," although UEFA deemed this complaint "inadmissible." After submitting their second complaint, the club stated that "several refereeing decisions were made that did not comply with the laws of the game," emphasizing the "incorrect application of the regulations" and the lack of VAR intervention in crucial incidents.

Barcelona forward Raphinha, who was sidelined due to injury during both matches, voiced his frustration, stating, "For me, this match was a robbery. Not just this match but the other one as well." In their official statement, Barcelona reiterated their previous requests to UEFA and expressed a willingness to collaborate with the organization to enhance the refereeing system, aiming for a more rigorous, fair, and transparent application of the laws of the game.