The refereeing dispute that marred Wednesday’s Champions League quarterfinal first leg at the Spotify Camp Nou, where his team won 2-0, has been addressed by Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Juan Musso.
The dispute centers on a second-half incident involving his teammate Marcos Pobel, and the Argentine goalie’s comments may further spark the debate about officiating important European games.
Musso acknowledged that the result was “great for the team and the fans” after the final whistle, but he stressed that the visitors felt aggrieved by the officiating choices.Although he emphasized the need of focusing on Atlético’s performance and the current assignment, his word choice suggested that the club might be submitting an official protest.
Pobel appeared to have been fouled inside the penalty area just after the hour mark.
Musso argued that the referee’s decision to not award a penalty was “disappointing and difficult to comprehend,” despite the fact that television replays showed little contact.He pointed out that similar calls often go against Atlético in important games, indicating a pattern of prejudice that the league’s regulatory body will now have to deal with.
Barcelona, for their part, chose to focus on their own performance and the difficulty of overturning the deficit in the second leg rather than address the dispute.
However, insiders close to the squad acknowledge that the debate about VAR procedures is unlikely to go away anytime soon, especially because both sides are scheduled to play each other again in the rematch.This win is a significant step for Atlético toward a potential semi-final appearance, and Musso stated that his teammates will not be affected by outside concerns.
He said, “We know what we have to do.” “We have to keep working, keep pushing, and make sure we’re ready for the next ninety minutes.”
The Atlético goalkeeper started a goal kick in the 54th minute by handing the ball to Marc Poblet, a teammate who was positioned close by in the six-yard box. To the astonishment of the onlookers, Poblet then used his hand to manipulate the ball and played it once more.The player at the center of the argument, Moussa, later defended the call, saying, “The referee made the correct interpretation of the situation; the ball was not in play.” Marc used his hand to grab it and pass it to me. Every time we took a goal kick, he was the one who delivered the ball to me.
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