Champions League: Barcelona handball claim against Atletico Madrid rejected

Champions League: Barcelona handball claim against Atletico Madrid rejectedBarca were unhappy with an alleged handball by Atletico’s Marc Pubill in quarterfinal first leg but UEFA rejects appeal.European football governing body UEFA on Tuesday rejected Barcelona’s complaint over a handball incident in their Champions League quarterfinal first leg defeat by Atletico Madrid, hours before the second leg.Diego Simeone’s side won 2-0 at Camp Nou last week, and Barca were upset by an incident where Atletico defender Marc Pubill touched the ball with his hand after it appeared a goal kick had been passed to him.“(After the first leg) Barcelona filed a protest relating to a referee decision. On 13 April 2026, the UEFA Control Ethics and Disciplinary Body declared the protest to be inadmissible,” said UEFA in a statement.Five-time Champions League winners Barca said last week the decision not to award them a penalty was a “major error” which influenced the result, and were upset referee Istvan Kovacs was not told to review the incident by the VAR team.