Barcelona Submits Complaint to Uefa Over Controversial VAR Decisions in Atletico Madrid Defeat

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 03:15:00 +0200

Barcelona has filed a formal complaint to Uefa following their 2-0 loss to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals. The club argues that VAR should have intervened after Atletico's Marc Pubill handled the ball in the penalty box during the 54th minute, but no penalty was awarded, and VAR did not review the incident. Barcelona's coach, Hansi Flick, criticized the refereeing, stating that Pubill should have received a second yellow card, and a penalty should have been given. Barcelona believes the lack of VAR intervention affected the outcome of the match. The incident occurred while Atletico was leading 1-0 after a stunning free-kick from Julian Alvaraz. Barcelona also highlighted a controversial red card decision for Pau Cubarsi, who was initially given a yellow card for a foul but was sent off after VAR review. Despite the refereeing controversies, Atletico went on to win the match, securing their first victory at the Nou Camp since 2006.