Joan Laporta explodes against refereeing after Barcelona’s elimination from the Champions League: “Intolerable shame!”
The president of FC Barcelona could not contain his fury after the heavy elimination in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, despite the narrow victory of 2-1 against Atlético de Madrid. Joan Laporta fired directly at the officiating team, accusing them of blatantly harming the Catalan club and labeling the performance as an “intolerable shame.”
The match, which was supposed to be a celebration of high-level football, turned into a nightmare for Barça, largely due to the controversial decisions made by French referee Clément Turpin and the VAR officials, Jérôme Brisard and Willy Delajod, also French. Laporta did not hold back his criticism, stating emphatically: “The refereeing yesterday, both on the field and in VAR, was a disgrace. What they did to us is intolerable.”
Recalling the first leg of the knockout round, the Barcelona leader also mentioned serious errors that, in his opinion, determined the club’s fate: “In the first leg, we were denied a clear penalty and a player was sent off for an action that warranted a yellow card.” Laporta did not hesitate to enumerate the incidents that, according to him, robbed Barcelona of justice. He highlighted, among others, the sending off of Eric Garcia in the 79th minute – a moment that, he insists, did not justify the red card: “Eric was not the last man because Koundé could have reached him. The referee showed a yellow, which was correct, and the VAR had him rectify it.”
Furthermore, the president defended the goal by Ferran Torres, which was disallowed, and harshly criticized the failure to award a penalty for a foul on Dani Olmo: “The penalty on Olmo was a penalty, the aggression against Fermín was intolerable. They opened his face, he was hit with the studs of the boot on his upper lip and only received a card…”
The atmosphere became even more tense with UEFA’s response to the formal complaint filed by Barcelona after the first leg. Laporta expressed his indignation at the stance of the governing body of European football: “It is unacceptable to file a complaint and the response is that the complaint was inadmissible. What Barça is doing is asking for explanations as to why the complaint was inadmissible. We will file another one. It is a disgrace, intolerable.”
To conclude, the Barcelona president made a direct outburst against critics who accuse the club of benefiting from refereeing: “They are shameless. To say that referees favor Barça is shameless. Just look at this Champions knockout round. It is a disgrace and no one believes that.”
In the mixed zone, the feeling of outrage was widespread. Raphinha, a key figure in the team, did not hesitate to use the word “theft” to describe what he considered an evident injustice against Barcelona.
This episode promises to drag on, with Barcelona determined to fight to the last consequences to ensure their voice is heard and justice is restored. The controversy is established and could shake the foundations of UEFA if clear and transparent measures are not taken. Football, as fans know it, deserves a clean and fair spectacle—something that was far from what was seen on the field yesterday.
This article first appeared on [Apito Final](https://apitofinal.pt/).
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