Barcelona’s aspirations for a Champions League title came to an abrupt end following a 2-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the quarter-final second leg on Tuesday evening. Expressing frustration felt within the team, Barcelona forward Raphinha accused referees of “robbing” the club, as both matches against Atletico featured a red card issued to a Barcelona player.
Raphinha directed his criticism towards referee Clement Turpin, who officiated the second leg, and Istvan Kovacs, who oversaw the first encounter.
“In my opinion, it was a robbery, not just in this match but also in the first leg,” Raphinha stated to the media. “I believe the officiating has been quite poor; the decisions made by Turpin are astonishing… I genuinely want to know why there seems to be a fear of Barcelona winning.”
As reported by Reuters, Raphinha was observed making repeated hand gestures resembling a grabbing motion after the match, a common sign interpreted as an indication of “theft.”
“It was challenging, especially when you recognize that you have to put in three times the effort to secure a victory,” Raphinha continued. “I find this tie to be somewhat deceptive. Everyone can make mistakes; we are all human. However, when the same mistakes occur repeatedly, it is something that warrants attention.”
During the first leg between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, referee Kovacs issued a red card to Pau Cubarsi in the 42nd minute after a VAR review determined he had fouled Giuliano Simeone as he broke free towards goal, escalating an initial yellow card.
The situation worsened for Barcelona as Atletico Madrid capitalized on the resulting free kick, with Julian Alvarez scoring past Joan Garcia.
In the second leg, Barcelona experienced a sense of déjà vu when Turpin sent off defender Garcia after a VAR review for holding Alexander Sorloth from behind as he advanced on goal.
Media outlets reported that Barcelona had formally expressed their grievances by filing a complaint regarding an incident early in the second half of the first leg. This complaint centered around Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso seemingly putting the ball back into play from a goal kick before Marc Pubill handled the ball within the six-yard box. Despite this, Kovacs allowed play to continue without VAR intervention, which led to strong protests from the Barcelona bench. UEFA ultimately dismissed the complaint.
(With contributions from Reuters)
