Barcelona advertises Istvan Kovacs to UEFA and requests the recording of the dialogue from the VAR room!
Article by Romeo Ene – Published on Thursday, 09 April 2026 18:57 / Updated on Thursday, 09 April 2026 21:01
The performance of the refereeing brigade caused strong discontent within the club, according to Spanish publication Sport.
grievances BARCELONA it targets two important moments during the game. The first is the phase in which goalkeeper Musso puts the ball back into play, passes it to Pubill, who touches the ball with his hand before taking a free kick.
The referee did not award a penalty, and the VAR system did not intervene. German Christian Dingert and Portuguese Tiago Martins were in the VAR room.
UPDATE 21:00. The official statement issued by Barcelona this evening
Barcelona informs that, earlier today, legal services have submitted a formal complaint to UEFA in relation to the events that took place in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final match against Atletico Madrid. The club believes that an arbitration action has occurred contrary to the regulations in force, with a direct impact on the conduct of the match and its result.
The referral focuses on a specific phase. In the 54th minute of the match, after the game had been restarted correctly, an opposing player hit the ball with his hand inside the box without it being flagged as a penalty kick.
FC Barcelona believes that this decision, together with the lack of intervention of the VAR system, constituted a major error. As a result, the club requested the opening of an investigation, access to communications between referees and, if necessary, official acknowledgment of errors and the adoption of relevant measures.
In this regard, Barcelona believes that this is not the first time that in recent editions of the UCL, incomprehensible refereeing decisions have prejudiced the team, generating a clear disadvantage and preventing it from competing on equal terms with the other clubs.– PRESS Barcelona
Claimed phase: Goalkeeper Musso plays the ball, Pubill takes it in his hands and places it in the corner of the small box / Photo: capture
The original news
Barcelona, complaint to UEFA after the refereeing of Istvan Kovacs in the match with Atletico Madrid
Club officials believe the ball was already in play and Pubill's intervention should have been sanctioned. In this interpretation, the phase would have required the award of a kick from 11 meters and the elimination of the defender.
The second disputed phase is the elimination of Cubarsi, a decision that amplified the tension in the Catalan camp. Barcelona's representatives claim that the referee did not manage the key moments of the game correctly.
Istvan Kovacs, here showing “red” to Pau Cubarsi // PHOTO: capture DigI Sport
The club is considering sending an official letter of protest to UEFA.
The action would have the role of signaling dissatisfaction with the arbitration. Such an action has no direct effect on the result or penalties in the match.
In parallel, UEFA evaluates each referee through an internal system. At this game, the observer was Stefano Podeschi, from San Marino. He will draft a report for the arbitration committee. The document remains confidential and subsequent decisions on delegations are not public.
The Sport publication also analyzed the implications of a possible protest. Lawyer Cristian Zarroca, specialized in sports law, explains the limits of such an initiative. “It's not a disciplinary procedure, it's a complaint expressing disagreement with the arbitration,” he said.
The specialist emphasizes that Barcelona cannot get the decisions changed on the field. Cubarsi's elimination remains valid and the result cannot be changed.
