UCL Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona: Joan Laporta furious, announces new complaint against refereeing

Europe 15 April 2026 at 09:30

Nouya M'toama

News Editor

Eliminated by Atlético Madrid in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, FC Barcelona is raising its voice. Club president Joan Laporta denounces “intolerable” refereeing decisions and promises a fresh offensive with UEFA.

The tension isn’t letting up in Barcelona. The day after their elimination against Atlético (3-2 on aggregate), FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta stepped up to defend his club’s interests.

Speaking to the press, the Catalan chief didn’t mince his words, pointing the finger at both the main referee and the video assistant referee (VAR).

“We cannot accept this,” he insisted.

He believes several decisions severely penalized his team over the two-legged tie.

Highly disputed refereeing decisions

Specifically, Laporta mentioned several contentious incidents — including a Ferran Torres goal he deemed valid, a penalty not awarded for Dani Olmo, an “intolerable” foul on Fermín López, and a sanction against Gavi that he found incomprehensible. The Barcelona president also stressed the impact of VAR, accusing it of overturning the referee’s initial decisions, especially in the first leg.

A new complaint in the works

After having their first claim dismissed by UEFA, Barça isn’t backing down.

“We have already filed a complaint and we will file another one,” Laporta confirmed, demanding explanations for the rejection of their initial appeal.

The Catalan club boss believes these decisions have seriously harmed Barça’s interests and is calling on the European body to learn from this to prevent similar situations in the future.