Raphinha claimed Barcelona were denied a Champions League semi-final place by poor refereeing across both legs against Atletico Madrid. The winger, unavailable through injury, argued that several key calls in the Champions League quarter-final favoured Atletico and felt the overall standard from the officials was far below expectation.
Speaking after Barcelona’s 2-1 win in the second leg at the Metropolitano, which still saw the team eliminated 3-2 on aggregate, Raphinha focused on French referee Clement Turpin’s handling of the tie rather than the performance of either side.
Raphinha missed both matches but did not hide frustration when analysing the decisions that shaped the Champions League quarter-final. The Brazilian highlighted incidents
in each leg, arguing that the pattern of calls forced Barcelona to work harder than Atletico Madrid simply to stay competitive over the two matches.
The forward delivered a fierce assessment of Turpin and the officiating team. Raphinha told reporters: "For me, this match was a robbery. Not just this match but the other ones as well. The refereeing was really bad, the decisions [Turpin] makes are unbelievable. I don't know how many fouls Atletico made, but the referee didn't give them a single yellow card. I really want to understand why they're so afraid that Barcelona will come and win. "
Barcelona’s comeback attempt in the second leg had started well. Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres cancelled Atletico Madrid’s first-leg advantage within 24 minutes, briefly putting Barcelona ahead in the overall score. However, Ademola Lookman’s goal in the 31st minute restored Atletico’s lead on aggregate and ultimately settled the quarter-final.
The tie then tilted further away from Barcelona in the second half in Madrid. Eric Garcia brought down Alexander Sorloth as the last defender and initially received a yellow card. Following a VAR review, Turpin upgraded the punishment to a red, leaving Barcelona with ten players for the rest of the match.
That dismissal mirrored what happened during the first leg at Camp Nou. Near the end of the first half in Barcelona, Pau Cubarsi clipped Giuliano Simeone from behind and was sent off. Atletico went on to win that game 2-0, taking a decisive lead into the return leg at the Metropolitano.
Controversial incidents and statistics from Barcelona Champions League quarter-final
Across the tie, Barcelona had a player dismissed in both legs of a Champions League knockout round for the first time in the club’s history. Raphinha accepted that some calls were technically correct but argued other moments, particularly in the first match, were handled inconsistently by the officials.
One of the incidents that angered Barcelona most involved Marc Pubill in the first leg. Pubill was booked after stopping the ball with a hand when Juan Musso appeared to restart play with a goal-kick. Barcelona expected a red card and complained that VAR did not call Turpin to the monitor.
The foul numbers from the second leg increased Barcelona’s frustration. Atletico committed 15 fouls without receiving a single caution. Barcelona were penalised for eight fouls and finished with two cards, a yellow for Gavi and a red for Eric Garcia, reinforcing Raphinha’s belief that the refereeing was unbalanced.
| Match | Team | Fouls | Yellow cards | Red cards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Second leg | Atletico Madrid | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| Second leg | Barcelona | 8 | 1 | 1 |
Barcelona escalated concerns after the first match by filing a complaint with UEFA. The club argued there was a "grave" absence of VAR intervention in certain episodes, notably the Pubill handball, and asked European football’s governing body to review Turpin’s management of the Champions League quarter-final.
UEFA responded on 14 April 2026, stating that Barcelona’s protest was inadmissible under competition regulations. That ruling meant all refereeing decisions from both legs stood, with no possibility of replay, annulment, or disciplinary consequences for the match officials involved in the tie.
Reflecting on the two games, Raphinha suggested the pattern of officiating errors felt systematic. Raphinha said: "It was tough, especially when you realise you have to work three times as hard to win the match. I think this tie was quite misleading, in my view. I think everyone can make mistakes; everyone is human. But when the mistakes keep repeating themselves in exactly the same way, I think that's something we need to pay attention to. "
Thank you, culers! Fora Barapic.twitter.com/Nyz04SstpzFC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 14, 2026
Beyond the officiating debate, the defeat added to a difficult Champions League record for Barcelona. The club have now exited the competition at the quarter-final stage in seven of their last 10 appearances at that phase, underlining how often recent European campaigns have ended before the final four.
