Barcelona defeated Atletico Madrid 2-1 at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, but it wasn’t enough to stay in the Champions League as they fell 3-2 on aggregate. After the final whistle, Raphinha—who missed the match due to injury—slammed the referees, calling the encounter a “robbery”.
“It was a robbery; the officiating was very poor. The decisions they made were unbelievable. Atletico committed I don’t know how many fouls and didn’t receive a single yellow card,” Raphinha told reporters after the match. “What I really want to understand is the referees’ standards toward Barcelona. I really want to understand this fear among referees of Barcelona reaching the win”.
Barcelona suffered a red card in both legs of the tie. The first was Pau Cubarsi at the Spotify Camp Nou while the match was still scoreless. The second came at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, where Eric Garcia received a straight red with the score at 2-1 in Barcelona’s favor, making a comeback nearly impossible with only 10 men.
Raphinha vs Atletico supporters
Raphinha was one of the biggest absences for Hansi Flick’s side, as he continues to recover from an injury sustained while playing for Brazil during the March international break. However, the Brazilian traveled with the squad to Madrid and had a heated exchange with some Atletico Madrid supporters.
After the match ended, the Brazilian was on the pitch with his teammates and took the opportunity to send a message to the opposing fans. Through gestures, Raphinha signaled that Atletico Madrid would be eliminated in the next round, whether they face Arsenal or Sporting Lisbon.
Barcelona had filed a complaint with UEFA regarding the refereeing
Raphinha isn’t the only one within the club pointing to controversial officiating. In fact, Barcelona filed an official complaint to UEFA following the first-leg defeat, stating “that the refereeing did not adhere to the current law, directly influencing how the game progressed and the result“.
The club’s frustration centered on a specific play where goalkeeper Juan Musso took a goal kick with his feet to Marc Pubill, who then stopped the ball with his hand to restart the play himself.
Barcelona maintain that Pubill’s handling of the ball should have resulted in a penalty for the home side and a second yellow card for the defender. Despite the formal protest, UEFA’s Control, Ethics, and Disciplinary Committee declared the complaint inadmissible.
