Barcelona president Laporta slams 'scandalous' refereeing after Champions League exit
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has launched a scathing attack on the officiating in his side's Champions League quarter-final defeat to Atletico Madrid, labelling it "scandalous" and confirming the club will lodge a second complaint with UEFA. The Spanish giants were eliminated 3-2 on aggregate after a 2-1 loss in the second leg at the Estadio Metropolitano on Tuesday, a match overseen by French referee Clément Turpin.
Laporta, speaking to Spanish media on Wednesday, expressed his fury at decisions across both legs. "First of all, I want to congratulate our opponents, but the refereeing yesterday was scandalous. What they did to us is intolerable," Laporta said. He cited a denied penalty in the first leg and, more specifically, the second-leg red card shown to young defender Pau Cubarsi as pivotal moments. "They did not award us a clear penalty in the first match, and they also sent off one of our players when he only deserved a yellow card," Laporta stated. "The referee had made the right decision, but the VAR forced him to change it to a red card, which hurt us a lot."
The dismissal of Pau Cubarsi, a 17-year-old centre-back who has broken into the first team this season, occurred in the 42nd minute with Barcelona leading 1-0. Cubarsi received a second yellow card after a VAR review upgraded his initial booking for a foul on Atletico forward Álvaro Morata. Playing with ten men for over half the match, Barcelona conceded twice after the break to crash out of the competition.
This complaint will be Barcelona's second to European football's governing body in a matter of days, following an initial protest over the first leg. Laporta revealed that the first complaint was dismissed. "We filed a complaint and we were told it was inadmissible. We are going to ask for further explanations, the club told me," he explained. "Rafa Yuste told me that we are going to file another complaint, because what was done to us is unacceptable." Sporting director Rafa Yuste had also voiced strong criticism of the officiating immediately after the final whistle in Madrid.
The fallout from the match continues a pattern of Barcelona publicly contesting refereeing decisions this season, with winger Raphinha also criticising Turpin's performance in the immediate aftermath of the game. The elimination marks a significant setback for manager Xavi Hernández, who had hoped to lead a deep European run in his final season in charge. For Atletico Madrid, the victory sets up a semi-final clash with Borussia Dortmund, while Barcelona's season now hinges solely on a tightening La Liga title race, where they trail leaders Real Madrid by eight points.
Despite the strong language from Laporta, UEFA is unlikely to overturn any sporting result, and the focus for the club now shifts to domestic matters. The incident, however, underscores the heightened tensions and sense of injustice felt at the highest levels of the Catalan club following a bitter European exit.
