Barcelona confronted Atletico Madrid as many as six instances within the 2025-26 season, twice in La Liga, twice within the Copa del Rey and twice within the Champions League.
It’s secure to say that the Madrid-based membership had the sting over Barcelona in each the Copa del Rey and the European competitors, knocking them out in each.
All video games between the 2 sides had been performed amid loads of controversy, and one main one was a handball resolution involving Marc Pubill.
The disputed second got here within the first leg of Barça’s Champions League quarter-final defeat to Atletico, when Pubill dealt with the ball inside the world after goalkeeper Juan Musso had put it again into play.
Comparable incident will now all the time be a penalty
On the time, referee Istvan Kovacs allowed play to proceed and VAR didn’t intervene.
Underneath UEFA’s new interpretation, as relayed by Mundo Deportivo, that very same motion would now be punished with a penalty.
Roberto Rosetti, UEFA’s head of refereeing, made clear that officers will not be allowed to use broad interpretations in conditions the place the ball has been legally put into play and is then intentionally or carelessly touched by hand.
“We would have liked to shut this chapter,” Rosetti mentioned.
He added that UEFA is bored with inconsistent interpretations and desires referees to use the rule in the identical means no matter whether or not opposition gamers are close by.
Barcelona had formally complained
The clarification is particularly important as a result of Barcelona lodged an official complaint after the Atletico tie.
The Catalan membership argued that the refereeing efficiency had gone in opposition to the prevailing laws and instantly affected the event and end result of the match.
Barça additionally criticised the failure of VAR to intervene and requested an investigation into the decision-making course of.
UEFA didn’t uphold that grievance on the time, and Barcelonawere finally eradicated after failing to overturn the 0-2 first-leg deficit.
The ultimate combination rating from the 2 video games was 3-2 in Atletico’s favour, and that call might have simply modified the top outcome.
A case of being proper too late
Barcelona can’t now get well the penalty that was not given, nor can final season’s quarter-final be replayed.
Nevertheless, UEFA’s new stance strongly helps Barça’s argument that one of these incident ought to by no means have been left open to interpretation.
A handball is a handball, and the rule is as clear as it may be. Had the present steering been utilized that evening, Barça would have been awarded a penalty.
UEFA could have now closed the loophole, but it surely comes a number of months after the Catalans had paid the value for it.
The great factor is that ought to the state of affairs repeat itself this season, Barcelona will know that the regulation is crystal clear.
Nobody can say how the tie would have ended that evening had the rule been utilized, and it’s time to look in the direction of the long run and the upcoming season.
