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Barcelona’s complaints over pitch conditions and refereeing have been dismissed by UEFA, as Atletico Madrid gains the upper hand in the mind games before kickoff.
Barcelona are looking to overcome a 0-2 deficit against Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano (AFP)
If all this noise from the Catalans was meant to rattle the Rojiblancos, it hasn’t quite gone to plan.
UEFA has reviewed Barcelona’s concerns over the pitch at the Atletico Madrid’s Metropolitano and found absolutely nothing wrong.
The surface meets regulations, which means Atleti won’t be trimming the grass to suit their visitors anytime soon.
Barca boss Hansi Flick reportedly wasn’t impressed during the final training session, even raising the issue with a UEFA delegate. The club echoed those concerns in pre-match meetings, but stopped short of filing an official protest.
UEFA’s response? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Another Complaint, Another Rejection
And that wasn’t the only grievance heading nowhere.
Earlier, Barcelona had protested a controversial handball incident from the first leg — where Atletico defender Marc Pubill appeared to handle the ball after a goal kick.
But UEFA shut that down too.
“On 13 April 2026, the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body declared the protest to be inadmissible,” the governing body confirmed.
Bravado or Desperation?
All of this comes with Barcelona chasing a 0–2 deficit from the first leg.
Young star Lamine Yamal struck a confident tone, stating, “We have plenty of players capable of turning things around… I have great confidence in our team.”
Flick echoed that belief.
“We don’t need a miracle, just a good performance… we have the players who can turn this around.”
Strong words. But the optics seem a little less convincing so far.
From pitch complaints to refereeing protests — and even LeBron-style bravado floating around the squad — it all feels a bit desperate.
Simeone Playing 4D Chess?
Because while Barcelona have been busy pointing at grass length and handballs, Diego Simeone’s Atletico have been doing what they do best: keeping it simple and staying locked in.
I mean, how much simpler could it get than benching your entire starting XI for the crucial encounter?
And maybe, just maybeAtleti might be winning the mind games before kickoff.
But of course, there is only one real question left to be answered: can Simeone avoid doing what he’s occasionally done best — bottling it when it matters most?
(with agency inputs)
April 14, 2026, 6:26 PM IST
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