Chaos at Barcelona as Joan Laporta escalates refereeing controversy directly to UEFA president

Chaos at Barcelona as Joan Laporta escalates refereeing controversy directly to UEFA president

Barcelona’s dramatic Champions League exit continues to spark controversy, with tensions now spilling far beyond the pitch.

According to a report from Mundo Deportivo, president-elect Joan Laporta took matters into his own hands by directly contacting Aleksander Ceferin to voice his anger over the refereeing decisions in the quarter-final clash against Atletico Madrid.

The two-legged tie, which ended in heartbreak for Barcelona, has been overshadowed by a series of contentious calls that left the club furious.

Laporta had already made his feelings clear during a public appearance, where his frustration with the officiating was evident.

However, behind the scenes, the situation had escalated much before.

What’s the story?

Reports indicate that Laporta leveraged his improved relationship with UEFA’s leadership to escalate the matter directly.

Laporta personally reached out to the UEFA president to express what has been described as “immense anger” over the decisions that went against his team.

The frustration was not limited to phone calls. During the match at the Metropolitano, Laporta was actively involved in confronting officials.

At half-time, he reportedly approached UEFA’s general secretary to complain about referee Clement Turpin and his decisions.

Laporta raised the concern directly to Aleksander Ceferin. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

The Barcelona chief highlighted several incidents that, in his view, had a direct impact on the outcome.

Among them were the unawarded penalty on Dani Olmo and a heavy challenge by Juan Musso on Fermin Lopez.

Laporta also revisited earlier grievances from the first leg at the Spotify Camp Nou, including the controversial handball involving Marc Pubill, the red card shown to Pau Cubarsi, and multiple unpunished fouls by Koke.

Raising the voice

Adding further fuel to the fire, Laporta took issue with UEFA’s dismissal of Barcelona’s formal complaint regarding the handball incident, which had been labelled “unacceptable.”

The club believes there is a clear precedent for such decisions, pointing to a similar situation in another Champions League fixture that resulted in a penalty.

Despite attempts from UEFA officials to calm the situation and urge patience until the final whistle, tensions only escalated.

The breaking point came when Eric Garcia was sent off following a VAR review, an incident that initially appeared to be a yellow-card offence before being upgraded.

That moment seemingly pushed Laporta over the edge, with his anger carrying over into the following day.

His frustration was visible during his public appearance, where he did little to hide his dissatisfaction.