Barcelona president Joan Laporta said “disgraceful” refereeing decisions led to Tuesday’s Champions League quarterfinal elimination to Atlético Madrid as he promised to take the issue to UEFA.
Barça won 2-1 at the Metropolitano but exited Europe after a 3-2 aggregate defeat following last week’s 2-0 loss at Spotify Camp Nou in the first leg.
Speaking after the game, injured forward Raphinha said Barça had been “robbed,” with Laporta backing up the Brazilian’s comments on Wednesday.
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“First of all, congratulations to Atlético for reaching the semifinal, but that doesn’t take away from the refereeing, which was a disgrace,” the Barça chief told reporters.
“It’s unacceptable. Already in the first leg, we were not given a penalty [for a Marc Pubill handball] and [Pau Cubarsí] was sent off when it should only have been a yellow card because Giuliano [Simeone] did not have the ball under control.
“The referee made the right decision giving the yellow at first — but the VAR demanded a red card which really damaged our chances.
“The refereeing decisions have had a major impact on the tie. In the second leg, it was more of the same.”
After the first leg, Barça filed an official complaint to UEFA, mainly protesting they should have received a spot kick when Pubill touched the ball with his hand after goalkeeper Juan Musso had appeared to restart play.
Barça also felt Pubill, already on a booking, should therefore have been sent off, but UEFA responded this week saying the Catalan club’s complaint was “inadmissible.”
Laporta bemoaned more decisions in the second leg, including Eric García‘s 79th minute red card, Ferran Torres‘ disallowed goal for offside, a penalty appeal for a challenge on Dani Olmo and a potential foul when Musso’s studs smashed into Fermín López‘s face.
The Barça chief said the club will continue to take the fight to UEFA over the standard of officiating.
Barcelona’s Pedri González protests as referee Clement Turpin sends off Eric García. Photo by Alberto Gardin/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
“For Eric’s red card, Jules Koundé could easily have got to the ball, so Eric wasn’t the last man,” Laporta said. “The referee had the yellow card out and the VAR stepped in again.
“Ferran’s [offside] goal was a goal, there was a penalty on Dani Olmo and the aggression on Fermín is unacceptable. His lip was completely bust open. Not even a booking! It’s unacceptable.
“We filed a complaint after the first leg and UEFA said it was ‘inadmissible.’ We will ask for further explanations. The club will also make another complaint because what’s inadmissible is what happened to us on Tuesday once again.”
First half goals from Lamine Yamal and Torres had fuelled Barça’s hopes of a comeback, but Ademola Lookman‘s strike edged Atlético back in front in the tie.
After starting so well, Barça ran out of gas in the second half, with García’s dismissal leaving them to play the final 15 minutes with 10 players as their wait for a first Champions League trophy since 2015 goes on.
Atlético, meanwhile, who have never previously won Europe’s top prize, progress to a semifinal against either Arsenal or Sporting CP.
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Following Tuesday’s game, Barcelona forward Raphinha gestured toward Atlético supporters, apparently indicating that the rival will be eliminated in the next round. He appeared to tell fans “you are out.”
The Brazil star, who is likely to face punishment from UEFA for his actions at the Metropolitano stadium, apologized for his actions on Wednesday.
“I apologize for my gesture, which does not reflect my values or character,” Raphinha said on Wednesday in a comment to a DAZN post that showed him gesturing to the crowd. “It was an act in a moment of tension, in response to a fan who was disrespecting me.”
Fellow forward Yamal insisted there were still reasons for optimism.
“We gave everything but it was not enough,” Barça teenage star Yamal posted on social media on Wednesday.
“This is part of the journey. To arrive at the peak, you have to climb, and we know it won’t be easy, nor will they make it easy for us, but giving up is not an option.
“We have reasons to be excited and we’re going to give everything moving forward. Every error is a lesson. Have no doubts that we will learn from each one.
“We are Barça and we will get back to where we deserve to be. My parents taught me that you always keep your word … and we will bring [the Champions League] to Barcelona.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
