Wednesday couldn’t have gone any worse for FC Barcelona. Losing the first leg of a knockout Champions League series is one thing, but doing so against LaLiga rival Atletico Madrid poured even more salt into the wound.
Plenty of things went wrong for Barcelona during the game. They didn’t play poorly, but they couldn’t convert their chances and had to play the entire second half with just 10 men. In Barcelona’s eyes, though, Atleti should have also played with 10 men for the final 35 minutes of the match.
FC Barcelona are adamant Marc Pubill should have been called for a handball in the box
There was a peculiar moment that occurred in the 54th minute. Atletico Madrid had a goal kick, goalkeeper Juan Musso placed the ball down with his hand and passed it to center back Marc Pubill. Pubill grabbed the ball with his hand, then kicked it back to Musso.
Pubill didn’t realize Musso had played the goal kick initially, thinking the goalkeeper was giving the ball to him so he could kick off. Barcelona players quickly picked up on it, but the referee did not and neither did the VAR assistant referees.
Following the match, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick was furious with the situation. He believes it should have been a penalty and a second yellow card for Pubill. The club is fully behind Flick on this matter, coming out with a scathing statement aimed at UEFA in the aftermath of the game.
FC Barcelona understands that this decision, along with a grave lack of intervention by VAR, represents a major error. Accordingly, the Club has requested an investigation be opened, access to refereeing communications, and where applicable, official acknowledgment of the errors and the adoption of the relevant measures. Along these same lines, FC Barcelona consider that this is not the first time in recent editions of the UEFA Champions League that unfathomable refereeing decisions have had a detrimental effect on the team, creating a clear double standard and preventing competing against other clubs on a level playing field.
This won’t be the last time we hear about this situation, as it remains fluid. Meanwhile, both teams must prepare for the return leg.
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