Barcelona File Complaint To UEFA Over Denied Penalty Against Atletico Madrid – Controversy Explained

FC Barcelona have filed an official complaint after they were denied a controversial penalty call in their 2-0 loss to Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League 2025-26 quarter-final first leg on Wednesday.

Atletico Madrid were already leading at Camp Nou courtesy of Julian Alvarez’s free-kick, and Barcelona were down to 10 men after Pau Cubarsi’s red card.

In the second half, Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso restarted play inside his six-yard box and passed to Marc Pubill. The defender handled the ball before returning it to Musso, with the Argentine goalkeeper taking the kick. Barcelona appealed for a penalty, claiming that it was a handball offence after the ball was in play. However, referee Istvan Kovacs waved play on.

In a statement, Barcelona said that the club “considers that the refereeing did not adhere to the current law, directly influencing how the game progressed and the result.”

Rules Back Barcelona’s Claims

Interestingly, the rules are in favour of Barcelona’s claims. As per IFAB’s Rule 16, once a goal-kick is taken and the ball is in play, a second touch involving a handball offence inside the penalty area should result in a penalty, unless the goalkeeper is the offender.

According to Cadena SER, such incidents have previously led to penalties being awarded against the offenders. During the Champions League match in 2024 between Club Brugge and Aston Villa, Tyrone Mings was penalised after handling the ball following a pass from Emiliano Martinez.

However, even if Barcelona submit a formal letter of complaint to UEFA, it would have little practical consequence. As a referee assessor is already assigned to every match and would have filed a report about the incident, UEFA will likely acknowledge Barcelona’s claim rather than act on it.

Coach, Players React To Denied Penalty

Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick questioned the decision not to award his side a penalty. “I don’t know why VAR didn't intervene,” he told Movistar. “The referee is German, and I think it’s unbelievable. We all make mistakes, but what’s the point of VAR? I can’t understand it. It should be a penalty, a second yellow card, and a red. This is what can’t happen.”

Even Marcus Rashford criticised the call, saying, “It’s clear to me: it’s a penalty. It’s happened before, and it’s always been given. I don’t understand the decision.”

Musso, meanwhile, dismissed the calls for a penalty. “If Pubill had tried to exploit the situation while under pressure, it could be interpreted differently, but that wasn’t the case. The ball was not in play.”

Barcelona will travel to Estadio Metropolitano for the second leg against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.