Raphinha has issued a public apology after a heated post-match incident involving Atletico Madrid supporters during a UEFA Champions League quarter-final clash.
The FC Barcelona winger, who missed the match due to injury, was caught on camera making a provocative gesture toward the home crowd following the final whistle in Madrid. The incident came after Barcelona’s 2–1 win on the night, which was not enough to overturn the aggregate score as Atletico progressed to the semi-finals.
Responding on social media, Raphinha apologised for his actions, saying: “I apologise for my gesture, which does not correspond to my values or my character. It was an act committed in a moment of tension, in response to a fan who was disrespecting me.”
The gesture, reportedly suggesting Atletico would be eliminated in the next round, quickly sparked backlash online after footage circulated widely.
However, the controversy did not end there, as the Brazilian also launched a strong criticism of the match officials. Speaking after the game, he said: “This match was a robbery. Atletico committed I don’t know how many fouls, and the referee did not show a single yellow card.”
He added: “It’s human to commit one error, but for it to happen again in another game? We played really well, but this tie was robbed from us. It was tough, especially when we see that we needed to put in three times the effort to win the match.”
Raphinha also questioned what he described as a pattern in officiating decisions affecting Barcelona, stating: “I was really looking forward to understanding this fear among the referees that Barcelona would reach victory.”
The comments have raised concerns about possible disciplinary action from UEFA, which has historically sanctioned players for publicly criticising referees.