In the 54th minute of the match at Camp Nou, Marc Pubill, a defender who had already received one yellow card, handled the ball inside the penalty area after a goal kick from goalkeeper Juan Musso. Referee Istvan Kovacs did not blow his whistle, and the video assistant referee (VAR) team did not intervene.

Pubill handles the ball after goalkeeper Musso's pass. *Screenshot*

"I don't understand what happened in that situation: the goalkeeper takes a goal kick, the defender handles the ball, and then play continues," Flick said angrily at the post-match press conference. "To me, it was clearly a red card, or at least a second yellow card and a penalty. VAR needs to explain why it wasn't reviewed."

The German coach emphasized that the referee and VAR's lack of intervention was unfair. He stated: "I cannot believe it wasn't a red card. It feels very bad and unfair. But we have to accept it and will fight in the next match."

Marc Pubill's handball inside the penalty area.

A similar incident occurred in the Champions League last season, partly reinforcing Flick's argument. On 6/11/2024, during a match between Club Brugge and Aston Villa at Jan Breydel Stadium, defender Tyrone Mings handled the ball in the penalty area after a short pass from goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. VAR intervened, awarding Club Brugge a penalty, which Hans Vanaken converted for the only goal of the match.

A similar incident also occurred in the Champions League quarter-final match between Arsenal and Bayern on 9/4/2024. Center-back Gabriel Magalhaes also handled the ball despite the referee having already blown the whistle to restart play. However, Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg did not award a penalty to Bayern at that time.

Tyrone Mings' handball inside the penalty area, leading to a penalty for Aston Villa.

In these instances, defenders might believe the ball is not yet in play, leading them to pick it up at the 5,5-meter line to restart. However, according to football rules, such a handball incident in the penalty area warrants a penalty.

Former referee Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez, now a commentator for AS and Cadena SER, also deemed this a serious error. According to Iturralde, this mistake is one of the most significant in a long time. "This is a very, very major technical error. One of the most serious mistakes in many years. VAR should have intervened and asked the referee to review it," he stated.

Yesterday at Camp Nou, Barcelona also received another unfavorable decision from the referee. In the 43rd minute, center-back Pau Cubarsi fouled Giuliano Simeone just outside the penalty area and was shown a yellow card. However, after reviewing the footage on the sideline, the referee issued a direct red card, determining that the Barcelona defender had denied a clear goal-scoring opportunity.

Coach Hansi Flick complains to the assistant referee during Barcelona's loss to Atletico in the Champions League quarter-final first leg at Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain on 8/4. *Photo: Reuters*

From the subsequent free kick, Julian Alvarez scored a spectacular opening goal, his 9th in the Champions League this season, before substitute Alexander Sorloth sealed Atletico's victory in the 70th minute. This also marked the first time since 2006 that the Madrid capital team had won at Camp Nou.

"They scored two goals and have high-quality forwards. We should have defended better on the first goal. After the red card, they scored immediately. VAR today seemed very focused on Atletico. And it was a German referee, so thank you, Germany," Flick continued, sarcastically commenting on the officiating, referring to German VAR Christian Dingert.

Nevertheless, the German coach believes Barcelona's chances are not over before the second leg on 14/4. "We played well in the first half and even in the second half despite being a man down. The whole team gave their utmost effort; we just lacked luck today," he said. "We will fight. Everything is not over. The semi-finals might still be distant, but we still have a chance and will try."