UEFA responds to Barcelona's VAR complaint after handball incident in Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid

European football’s governing body has wasted little time in delivering its verdict on the grievances aired by the Blaugrana. UEFA's Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) reviewed the arguments presented by the club but concluded that there was no basis for a formal case to proceed.

In a concise statement released on Tuesday, the governing body confirmed the outcome: "Following the UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg between Barcelona and Atlético, Barcelona filed a protest relating to a referee decision. The UEFA Control Ethics and Disciplinary Body has declared the protest to be inadmissible."

The core of Barcelona's frustration stems from a bizarre sequence of play during the first leg at the Spotify Camp Nou. The club alleged that Marc Pubill handled the ball inside the penalty area after goalkeeper Juan Musso had already restarted play with a goal kick. Despite the contact, referee Istvan Kovacs did not point to the spot, and VAR Christian Dingert opted not to intervene.

Barcelona felt the decision was a game-changing error, particularly as Pubill was already on a yellow card at the time. The club's legal team had expressed that the grave lack of intervention from the VAR room constituted a significant breach of protocol that directly impacted the result of the tie.

The dismissal follows 70 minutes of frustration for Flick's side, who played much of the game with ten men after Pau Cubarsi was sent off. Goals from Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth secured a 2-0 win for Diego Simeone’s men, but Flick was left fuming at the post-match press conference regarding the Pubill incident.

"For me, it's a clear red card, well a second yellow card and a penalty," Flick said in his post-match assessment. "[The VAR] can explain why it's not [reviewed the play]. I can't believe it's not a red card. It feels not good. It feels unfair. The VAR was very focused today for Atlético".

Despite the initial anger, Flick appeared to have cooled off ahead of the second leg in Madrid. Addressing the media before the return fixture at the Metropolitano, the German coach insisted he was moving on from the controversy and expressed confidence in the veteran official appointed for the decider.

"I am calm now," Flick stated. "I have had enough time. [Clément Turpin] is an experienced referee. No doubts."

With the UEFA protest now a closed chapter, Barcelona must focus on overturning a two-goal deficit if they are to secure a semi-final spot against either Arsenal or Sporting CP.