UEFA has formally dismissed the complaint submitted by FC Barcelona following their UEFA Champions League quarter-final first-leg clash against Atlético de Madrid on 8 April 2026.
Barcelona’s protest centered on a controversial handball incident inside Atlético’s penalty area, which they believed warranted a different refereeing decision during the match. The club escalated the matter after the game, seeking a formal review from UEFA’s disciplinary structures.
However, on 13 April 2026, UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body ruled the complaint inadmissible, meaning it was not accepted for review and would not be examined on its merits.
This indicates that the case did not meet the procedural or legal criteria required for such complaints most commonly because refereeing decisions made during a match are considered final and are generally not subject to retrospective appeals. As a result, no further action will be taken, and the original match outcome and officiating decisions remain unchanged.
This outcome reinforces UEFA’s long-standing position that in-game refereeing judgments, even when controversial, are rarely overturned through disciplinary channels.