Barcelona Files Official Complaint with UEFA Over Refereeing Errors

Spanish club Barcelona, represented by Rafa Yuste, has submitted an official complaint to the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) protesting refereeing decisions and Video Assistant Referee (VAR) calls during their UEFA Champions League quarter-final matches against Atlético Madrid. In its memorandum, the club expressed its strong dissatisfaction, asserting that these decisions constituted grave errors that did not adhere to the laws of the game, causing the team significant economic and sporting damage.

Rafa Yuste, Barcelona's acting president, clarified that this step aims to inform the continental federation of the necessity to elevate refereeing standards. Yuste stated: “We wanted to submit an official complaint to UEFA regarding the tie that eliminated us from the Champions League, as there were serious errors that we wanted to convey in this statement. They are clearly presented, and we believe they do not comply with football regulations, causing us significant financial and sporting damage. This explains our angry stance towards the federation.”

In its pursuit of improving the quality of the game, Yuste noted that the presence of six officials in the refereeing team for each match should prevent such transgressions. He added: “Despite the elimination, we wanted to send a message that things must improve. It is unacceptable for such a number of errors to occur, harming the interest of the game.” This complaint follows the Catalan club's exit from the competition and comes after the continental body rejected a previous complaint submitted by the team after the first leg.

In a related context, Joan Laporta, the elected club president, had previously drawn attention to specific refereeing incidents, including red cards shown to Cubarsí and Eric García, in addition to a potential penalty for Dani Olmo and a disallowed goal for Ferran Torres, alongside an intervention between Fermín López and goalkeeper Musso.