UEFA have caused Barcelona 'serious harm' as vice-president defends official complaint after Atletico Madrid upset

Yuste has spoken out to justify the club's decision to submit a formal grievance to European football's governing body. The move comes in the wake of a controversial quarter-final tie against domestic rivals Atletico Madrid, where several decisions left the Blaugrana hierarchy fuming. The grievance highlights a series of disputed incidents, including the red card shown to Pau Cubarsi, the alleged handball by Marc Pubill, and the expulsion of Eric Garcia. Furthermore, the club is seeking clarification on a potential penalty on Dani Olmo and a controversial clash between Fermin Lopez and Juan Musso.

"We have wanted a formal complaint before UEFA for the tie that has left us out of the Champions League, serious errors that we wanted to convey in this statement, which are very well explained and which we believe do not conform to the regulations of football," Yuste explained. He was adamant that the impact of these decisions went far beyond the pitch, stating: "They have caused us serious economic and sporting harm, hence it reflects our indignation before UEFA."

The club's frustration stems from a belief that the current officiating standards are failing the sport, especially given the technological resources available to referees. This sense of injustice is heightened by the fact that Barcelona lost the tie 3-2 on aggregate, a result the hierarchy believes was directly influenced by the disputed calls. Yuste emphasised that the complaint is intended to drive change within the continental game to ensure other clubs do not suffer similar fates in the future.

"We do it from a constructive point of view," the official noted. "Despite the elimination, we wanted to convey to UEFA that things must be done better. We believe that having six people from the refereeing establishment in a match, so many errors cannot occur, and therefore, we believe that this does a lot of damage to football. We do not understand how flagrant actions, with a VAR room present, are not whistled as we understand they should be whistled."

While the bitterness of the exit remains, the Barcelona leadership is keen to ensure that the technical staff and players remain focused on their remaining objectives. The club currently finds itself in a transitional period, leaning heavily on a new generation of talent emerging from La Masia.

"We always have to look forward; one thing is to defend our institution, and the other is to look ahead," Yuste remained. He was quick to praise the performance of the squad despite the ultimate result: "The team played brilliant football, with a very young group, and now it is time to look forward."

Despite the "serious harm" cited in their complaint, there is a sense of optimism at Spotify Camp Nou regarding the long-term trajectory of the team. The connection between the supporters and the current crop of players has provided a silver lining to their European disappointment.

Concluding his address, Yuste shared: "It is a message of pride; it had been a long time since we saw the public, no matter what happens, stay in the ground applauding their players. And this is a huge communion between the team and the fans like there hasn't been for a long time. A young team, very committed to the club and I am convinced that they will soon lift the Champions League, and that they will fight until the end so that it returns home."