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Rabat – After losing 2–0 to Atlético Madrid in the Champions League, Barcelona has filed an official complaint, stating that the referee missed a huge call that changed the game.
The main dispute came early in the second half. Atlético Madrid‘s defender Marc Pubill appeared to handle the ball inside the box right after their keeper Juan Musso got play going again. Barcelona players crowded to the ref, convinced it was a penalty, but he waved them away and VAR stayed silent.
Barcelona released a statement right after. They insisted the ref got it wrong, and they called out VAR too. The club asked UEFA to look into referee communications and admit if they made any mistakes that clearly influenced the match’s result .
By the time the handball drama happened, Atlético were already up 1–0 thanks to Julián Álvarez’s free kick. Things got even worse for Barcelona when Pau Cubarsí saw red after a foul against Giuliano Simeone, got a yellow, but then VAR prompted the referee to upgrade it to a sending-off.
Hansi Flick, Barcelona’s manager, looked furious. He told reporters after the game that VAR seemed much quicker to act when things went Atlético’s way. In his view, the handball should’ve led to a penalty and a second yellow, meaning Pubill would’ve been out as well.
Atlético’s Alexander Sørloth added another goal later, sealing the win. This wasn’t just any win, either. It was Atlético’s first victory at Camp Nou since 2006.
