Barcelona complain to Uefa about 'grave lack of VAR intervention' in Atletico Madrid loss
BBC • • sports
Key Points:
- Barcelona filed a complaint with UEFA over a significant lack of VAR intervention during their 2-0 Champions League quarter-final loss to Atletico Madrid, specifically citing a denied penalty after Atletico defender Marc Pubill handled the ball in the box.
- The incident occurred in the 54th minute when Pubill, already on a yellow card, stopped the ball with his hand following a goal kick restart, but referee Istvan Kovacs and VAR Christian Dingert did not penalize the action.
- Barcelona criticized the refereeing decision as a major error that directly influenced the game's outcome and requested an investigation, access to refereeing communications, official acknowledgment of errors, and appropriate measures.
- Atletico led 1-0 after Julian Alvarez scored a free-kick following Pau Cubarsi's red card, which was upgraded from a yellow card after VAR review; Alexander Sorloth later scored to secure Atletico's first win at the Nou Camp since 2006.
- Barcelona coach Hansi Flick expressed frustration over the VAR decisions, highlighting the handball incident as a clear red card and penalty situation that was overlooked.
