Raphinha Slams Refereeing After Barca Exit

FC Barcelona forward Raphinha has branded his side’s Champions League elimination as a “robbery”, following controversial refereeing decisions across both legs against Atletico Madrid.

Barcelona exited the competition with a 3-2 aggregate defeat, despite winning the second leg 2-1, after suffering red cards in both matches.

VAR Decisions Under Fire

The tie was heavily influenced by VAR interventions, with two Barcelona defenders sent off after on-field reviews:

• Pau Cubarsi (first leg)
• Eric Garcia (second leg)

In both incidents, referees upgraded yellow cards to red for denying clear goalscoring opportunities.

Raphinha, who missed both matches due to injury, did not hold back in his criticism.

“For me, this match was a robbery. Not just this match but the other one as well,” he said.

“The refereeing was really bad. The decisions are unbelievable.”

Penalty Controversy Adds Fuel

Barcelona were also angered by a first-leg incident where Atletico defender Marc Pubill appeared to handle the ball inside the penalty area.

Despite protests, referee Istvan Kovacs and VAR official Christian Dingert allowed play to continue.

The club lodged a complaint with UEFA, but it was later deemed “inadmissible.”

Disciplinary Risk for Raphinha

UEFA has confirmed that its disciplinary body will review reports from the second leg, potentially opening proceedings against Raphinha for his post-match comments.

The Brazilian questioned consistency in officiating:

“Everyone can make mistakes, but when the same mistakes keep happening, we need to pay attention.”

Atletico Respond

Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso dismissed the claims, insisting the result was fair.

“You can’t say this match was stolen — that’s ridiculous. We won on the pitch.”

Diego Simeone’s side had no players booked in the second leg, adding further frustration for Barcelona players and supporters.

A Bitter European Exit

Barcelona’s Champions League campaign ends amid controversy, with refereeing decisions taking centre stage over footballing performance.

For Atletico, the focus now shifts to the semi-finals — while Barcelona are left questioning what might have been.