Barcelona file second complaint to UEFA over refereeing in Champions League quarter-final defeat to Atletico Madrid

This marks the second time in just over a week that the Blaugrana have approached the governing body, expressing deep indignation regarding the performances of the match officials and the VAR system. This specific complaint encompasses incidents from both the first and second legs.

Club president Joan Laporta did not hold back when speaking at the Godo, stating that the refereeing Barcelona experienced during this stage of the competition was a shame. Laporta detailed a list of controversial plays from the two-legged affair, including the red card shown to Pau Cubarsi, the alleged handball by Marc Pubill, the expulsion of Eric Garcia, a potential penalty on Dani Olmo, and a controversial clash between Fermin Lopez and Juan Musso.

"First, I want to congratulate Atletico Madrid, but this doesn't change that the refereeing yesterday, both from the official and from the VAR, was a disgrace," said Laporta. "It's intolerable what they have done to us. In the first leg they already didn't give us a textbook penalty and they sent off a player when it was a yellow, because Giuliano [Simeone] didn't have the ball under control. The red card hurt us a lot.

"It was a tie where the refereeing decisions hurt us a lot. In the second leg, Eric Garcia wasn't the last man back, [Jules] Kounde was arriving. The referee initially showed a yellow card, but VAR intervened and overturned it. Ferran [Torres] strike was a goal, the penalty on [Dani] Olmo was blatant, the foul on Fermin was intolerable because his upper lip was completely split open, and then he showed a card to Gavi... The kid was suffering while they were stitching him up, and he didn't even get a card. It's unacceptable."

The club's new official statement, while slightly more measured than Laporta’s public outburst, still paints a picture of a club that feels systematically wronged. "The Club considers that, throughout the two matches of the tie, several refereeing decisions occurred that do not comply with the Laws of the Game, derived from an incorrect application of the regulations and a lack of adequate intervention of the VAR system in actions of clear significance," the statement reads.

Barcelona further argued that these errors was not merely superficial but fundamentally altered the course of the competition for them. "According to FC Barcelona, the accumulation of these errors has had a direct impact on the development of the matches and the final result of the tie, entailing a significant sporting and economic detriment for the entity," the club added.

In addition to seeking redress for the specific decisions, the Catalan side is positioning itself as a leader in the push for better officiating standards across Europe. The club reminded UEFA of its previous grievances and expressed a desire to see the system overhauled to prevent similar issues in the future.

"Through this claim, the club reiterates the requests made to UEFA previously and, at the same time, offers to collaborate with UEFA with the aim of improving the refereeing system in order to guarantee a more rigorous, fair and transparent application of the Laws of the Game," the club continued.

Last week, Barcelona were even more assertive, specifically targeting the handball incident involving Pubill in the first leg. They argued it was a clear penalty because the ball was in play when it was handled and went as far as demanding an official investigation, the release of VAR audio, and disciplinary measures against the officials involved.

However, UEFA’s response to the first protest was swift and dismissive. On Tuesday afternoon, the continental body resolved the matter categorically, ruling that nothing punishable had occurred during the play in the Atletico penalty area. They officially deemed the protest "inadmissible", which has only served to fuel the fire at the Camp Nou as they double down on their latest legal and administrative challenge.