UEFA rejects Barcelona's complaint over refereeing during first-leg loss to Atletico

Barcelona's Lamine Yamal looks dejected as Atletico Madrid's Matteo Ruggeri celebrates after the first-leg win
Barcelona's Lamine Yamal looks dejected as Atletico Madrid's Matteo Ruggeri celebrates after the first-leg winReuters / Albert Gea

UEFA has rejected Barcelona's complaint over ⁠the officiating in their 2-0 home defeat by Atletico ‌Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final first ‌leg, the governing body ‌said on Tuesday.

Barcelona appealed for ‌a penalty after Atletico goalkeeper Juan ‌Musso appeared to have put the ball back into play ‌from a goal kick before ⁠defender ‌Marc Pubill handled it inside the six-yard ​area to retake it.

Referee Istvan Kovacs waved play ​on, and the VAR team did not summon him to ⁠the monitor.

Barcelona ​launched an official complaint on Thursday, but UEFA's Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body deemed the complaint ‌to be inadmissible.

"Following the UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg played on Wednesday, 8 April 2026, between FC Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid, FC Barcelona filed a protest relating to a referee decision. On 13 ‌April 2026, the UEFA Control ​Ethics and Disciplinary Body declared ‌the protest to be inadmissible," UEFA said in a statement.

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Barcelona and Atletico meet in the second leg later on ⁠Tuesday.

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