UEFA reject Barca handball complaint before Atletico return
UEFA has rejected Barcelona’s complaint over a controversial handball incident in their Champions League quarter‑final first leg defeat to Atletico Madrid, just hours before the return leg. Atletico won the first game 2–0 at Camp Nou, but Barcelona were furious that no penalty was awarded when defender Marc Pubill appeared to handle the ball after receiving what looked like a goal kick inside the area. “After the first leg, Barcelona filed a protest relating to a referee decision. On 13 April 2026, the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body declared the protest to be inadmissible,” UEFA said in a statement. The Catalan club had described the decision not to give a spot kick as a “major error” that affected the outcome of the match and criticised the fact that Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs was not asked by VAR to review […]