Barcelona files UEFA complaint over denied penalty vs. Atletico Madrid

Barcelona have filed a formal complaint with UEFA following their 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday, citing a missed penalty decision and lack of VAR intervention.

The incident in question occurred in the 54th minute when Atletico defender Marc Pubill handled the ball inside the penalty area. According to Barcelona's account, goalkeeper Juan Musso had restarted play with a goal kick when Pubill received the ball and touched it with his hands before passing it back to the goalkeeper. Referee Istvan Kovacs did not award a penalty, and Video Assistant Referee Christian Dingert did not intervene.

Barcelona stated in a Thursday statement that "the club considers that the refereeing did not adhere to the current law, directly influencing how the game progressed and the result." The club characterized the decision and VAR's failure to intervene as constituting "a major error" and "a grave lack of intervention by VAR."

In their formal complaint, Barcelona requested that UEFA open an investigation into the incident, provide access to referees' communications, and offer official acknowledgement of the errors where appropriate. The club argued that "the referee's conduct contravened current regulations, directly affecting the course of the match and its result."

The match took place during the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final tie. At the time of the handball incident, Atletico Madrid was leading 1-0. Barcelona was also playing with a numerical disadvantage after defender Pau Cubarsí was sent off late in the first half. The match ultimately ended 2-0 in favor of Atletico Madrid.

Pubill had received a yellow card earlier in the match before the handball incident occurred.