Barcelona resubmits complaint to UEFA over handball decision in UCL quarter-final against Atletico Madrid

Barcelona filed another complaint with UEFA on Thursday after their protest over a handball incident in this week’s Champions League quarter-final first leg defeat to Atletico Madrid was rejected.

The Spanish club said in a statement that several refereeing decisions on both legs of the tie, which Atletico won 3-2 on aggregate, were «not in accordance with the rules of the game, due to an incorrect application of the rules and a lack of appropriate intervention by the VAR system in incidents of obvious significance».

The Catalan club, which finished both matches with 10 men following the dismissal of Pau Cubarsi and then Eric Garcia, believes it was on the wrong side of several controversial decisions, including two potential penalty situations that did not prompt VAR intervention.

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“The accumulation of these errors had a direct impact on the conduct of the matches and on the final outcome of the draw, causing significant sporting and financial damage to the club,” the reigning Spanish champions added.

Barcelona said the club “reiterates the requests previously made to UEFA” and offers to “collaborate with the organization with the aim of improving the refereeing system to ensure a more rigorous, fair and transparent application of the regulations”.

On Tuesday, UEFA had dismissed as “inadmissible” the five-time Champions League winner’s initial complaint regarding a handball on a goal kick by Atletico defender Marc Pubill, which his side won 2-0.

Published on April 16, 2026