Referee of Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid Match Could Be Excluded from Remaining Champions League Games This Season Due to Cubarsí Incident

The officiating by Romanian referee István Kovács in the Champions League quarter-final first leg between Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, played last Wednesday at Camp Nou, has ignited widespread and ongoing controversy. Barcelona has lodged a formal complaint with UEFA, contending that a handball by Popel following a pass from Musso should have resulted in a penalty. Meanwhile, Atlético Madrid is also closely following the refereeing debate.

Sports media has extensively covered the Romanian referee's performance. Isaac Fouto, a journalist specializing in refereeing matters, confirmed on the program "El Partidazo de COPE" last Thursday evening that Kovács would be barred from officiating any remaining Champions League matches this season.

Fouto clarified that the decision to suspend Kovács stems not from Barcelona's penalty appeal, but from his failure to immediately send off player Cubarsí. UEFA reportedly deemed this second incident more serious. Kovács initially issued a yellow card to the Catalan defender before being prompted by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to review the footage, subsequently leading him to dismiss the Spanish international.