Refereeing v Atletico ‘a robbery’ – Barca’s Raphinha

Barcelona’s Elimination in Champions League Quarter-Finals

Barcelona’s departure from the Champions League quarter-finals has been described as “a robbery” by their forward Raphinha. The team faced a player sent off in each leg of their 3-2 aggregate loss to Spanish rivals Atletico Madrid, with their 2-1 victory in the second leg failing to reverse a 2-0 deficit from the first encounter. Both dismissals followed a yellow card upgrade after referees were directed to review potential goal-denying incidents via a pitchside monitor.

Refereeing Controversies in Both Legs

Pau Cubarsi was red-carded by Istvan Kovacs in the initial match, while Eric Garcia received a second yellow for a second booking from Clement Turpin in the return fixture. Kovacs also drew criticism from Barcelona after he and video assistant referee Christian Dingert allowed play to continue despite Atletico defender Marc Pubill handling the ball in his own penalty area.

Handling Incident Sparks Complaint

Raphinha, who missed both matches due to injury, expressed frustration post-second leg: “For me, this match was a robbery. Not just this one but the other as well.” He questioned the referees’ leniency toward Atletico, noting their lack of yellow cards despite perceived fouls. “I really want to understand why they’re so afraid that Barcelona will come and win,” he added. Atletico’s goalkeeper Juan Musso countered: “You can’t say this match was stolen from them; that’s ridiculous. They acted as if they should have had three penalties and we should have had four sendings-off. We won on the pitch, 2–0 away, and when you’re the last man back, you get a red card.”

UEFA’s Response to Barcelona’s Protest

Barcelona lodged a formal complaint with UEFA over a “grave lack of VAR intervention” in the second leg. The European football governing body dismissed the protest as “inadmissible” on Tuesday. Raphinha emphasized the challenges of the tie: “It was tough, especially when you realize you have to work three times as hard to win the match. I think this tie was quite misleading, in my view. Everyone can make mistakes; everyone is human. But when the mistakes keep repeating themselves in exactly the same way, I think that’s something we need to pay attention to.”

Further Action Expected

UEFA announced it would evaluate reports from Tuesday’s game before determining any subsequent steps, which may include a possible charge against Raphinha for his remarks.

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