Barcelona complain to UEFA over Champions League refs: Club claims errors caused loss to Atletico Madrid

While a flawed Madrid side fell to new favourites Bayern Munich in an impressive display of attacking acumen from the Bavarians, Barcelona were surprisingly downed by Atletico Madrid as they were beaten 3-2 on aggregate. The Blaugrana were felled 2-0 in the first leg at home, leaving them with a multi-goal deficit to overturn on the road. Hansi Flick's side managed a 2-1 victory at the Metropolitano, but were unable to get over the hump and do enough to reverse the aggregate scoreline.

A number of adverse refereeing decisions went against the Spanish giants in the two matches, including a red card to a Barcelona player in each game. The outcome has angered Barcelona hierarchy enough to force them into action, and the club has submitted an official complaint regarding the events across the 180 minutes. The Sporting News discusses the action Barcelona have taken, how UEFA have responded, and what it is that Barcelona are upset about.

MORE: A look at the all-time Champions League top goal scorers Barcelona complain to UEFA over Champions League referees Following harsh words from president Joan Laporta in the immediate aftermath of the defeat, Barcelona have lodged an official complaint with FIFA over the officiating across both legs of their Champions League quarterfinal matchup against Atletico Madrid. In an official club statement released on April 16, Barcelona claimed that refereeing crews led by veteran officials Istvan Kovacs (first leg) and Clement Turpin (second leg) significantly impacted the results of the matches. "FC Barcelona has submitted a complaint to UEFA regarding the refereeing performance in the Champions League quarter-final tie played against Atletico Madrid," the club revealed in its official statement .

"The club considers that, across both legs of the tie, several refereeing decisions were made that did not comply with the Laws of the Game, resulting from an incorrect application of the regulations and a lack of appropriate intervention by the VAR system in incidents of clear significance. "According to FC Barcelona, the accumulation of these errors had a direct impact on the course of the matches and on the final outcome of the tie, causing significant sporting and financial harm to the club. "Through this complaint, the Club reiterates the requests previously made to UEFA and, at the same time, offers to collaborate with the organisation with the aim of improving the refereeing system to ensure a more rigorous, fair and transparent application of the Laws of the Game.