Although he didn’t play a single minute, Raphinha was one of the most vocal critics after FC Barcelona‘s Champions League elimination against Atlético Madrid, launching a strong attack on the refereeing controversy.
Refereeing controversy sparks Raphinha’s fury
The Brazilian, sidelined by injury, traveled to the capital to watch the Blaugrana’s defeat at the Cívitas Metropolitano in the Champions League quarterfinals. Barcelona were knocked out with a 3-2 aggregate score, despite winning the second leg 2-1.
Hansi Flick‘s side showed character with goals from Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres, which leveled the tie, but a decisive strike from Ademola Lookman sealed Atlético Madrid’s place in the Champions League semifinals.
The final blow came with the red card shown to Eric García after a tough challenge on Alexander Sørloth, an incident that unleashed Raphinha’s fury.
“It was a total robbery,” he said bluntly. “The referee had a lot of problems. There were incredible decisions. I don’t know how many fouls Atlético Madrid committed without getting a card.”
Barcelona also claimed a penalty on Dani Olmo in the first half, another play that fueled the refereeing controversy, although the Brazilian avoided focusing on any single incident.
The Blaugrana frustration is not isolated. This is the second consecutive match in which the club has questioned the Champions League refereeing, after UEFA recently dismissed a formal complaint over decisions in the previous game.
“It’s human to make mistakes, but for it to happen again…” Raphinha insisted. “We played a great match, but they took the tie away from us. It seems like we have to do triple the work to win.”
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