Barcelona forward Raphinha has apologized for his gesture towards Atletico Madrid fans following his team’s elimination in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Raphinha, who did not play on Tuesday due to a hamstring injury, also criticized the referees by making the ‘robbed’ sign with his hands, and later told reporters that Barcelona had been ‘robbed’ over the two legs.
The Brazilian star is likely to be punished by UEFA for his actions at the Metropolitano Stadium.
While still on the pitch, he gestured to Atletico supporters and made a gesture apparently indicating that the rival will be eliminated in the next round. He seemed to tell the fans ‘you’re gone’.
“I apologize for my gesture, which does not reflect my values or character,” Raphinha said in a statement on Wednesday. DAZN post in which he gestured to the crowd. “It was an act in a moment of tension, in response to a fan who had no respect for me.”
Barcelona, looking to return to the Champions League semi-finals for the second season in a row, won 2-1 on Tuesday but that was not enough to overcome a 2-0 defeat at home in the first leg last week.
Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso said it was nonsense for Raphinha to say Barcelona had been robbed.
“I respect everyone’s opinion, but let’s not say it was a robbery because it wasn’t,” Musso said. «We won on the field. On the road we won 2-0. It’s a team we have a lot of respect for and are very motivated to play against. It’s a great team, but I just think it’s crazy to talk about robberies.»
Raphinha did not immediately apologize for his comments about refereeing.
“For me it was ‘robbed,’” he told reporters on Tuesday. «Not only this match, but the other one too. The referees were very bad. Unbelievable the decisions they made. Atletico made a lot of fouls and the referee didn’t show a single yellow card.»
Other players also criticized the referees over the two legs.
President-elect Joan Laporta said on Wednesday that the referees were «shameful» and «intolerable», and said the club planned to lodge a formal complaint with UEFA.
Published on April 15, 2026
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