Official: Barcelona file formal complaint with RFEF over refereeing after Atletico Madrid controversy

In an official statement, FC Barcelona have announced that they have filed a formal letter of complaint over the refereeing from their 4-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid.

Barça lost 4-0 to Atleti on Thursday night in the first leg of the Copa del Rey, in which they had a goal from Pau Cubarsi ruled out in a very controversial manner, while a potential red card on Giuliano Simeone for a foul went overlooked.

In the aftermath of the game, reports had suggested Hansi Flick and Barcelona were left frustrated and angered by the refereeing on the night. And they have now followed through on their concerns by sending a letter of complaint to RFEF.

“FC Barcelona reports that it sent a formal letter this Saturday, February 14th, to the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), addressed to its President, the President of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), the head of VAR and the Director of Legal Advice, in which the Club expresses its deep concern about the repeated homogeneous criteria,” the statement read.

In the statement, Barcelona highlighted their concerns about refereeing spread across five criteria:

Lack of consistency in disciplinary criteria

Contradictory criteria in hand actions

Accumulation of relevant errors

Application and transparency of VAR

Criteria in the reviews on the monitor

The statement further read: “The Club wishes to make it clear that this initiative does not intend to question the professionalism of the refereeing body, but rather to demand an urgent review of the criteria applied in order to guarantee:

The credibility and prestige of competitions

Uniformity in arbitration decisions

Equal treatment between clubs.

Furthermore, Barcelona also requested the full publication of all VAR audio recordings, regardless of whether there is a review on the field, as an essential measure of transparency.

Concluding, Barcelona proposed the creation of a specific disciplinary code or regulations for referees that establishes public and transparent consequences in cases of serious errors or negligence, with the aim of strengthening confidence in the system.

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