Barcelona Point Fingers at Referee After Champions League Heartbreak Against Inter
Referee Marciniak under fire as Barça’s dreams of reaching the final come crashing down
- Late Inter equalizer sends semi-final to extra time after Barça thought they'd sealed it
- Barcelona furious over VAR decisions, including a reversed penalty call
- Pedri calls out referee Marciniak, urging UEFA to investigate ‘unfair’ officiating
Barcelona have slammed referee Szymon Marciniak following their dramatic Champions League semi-final exit at the hands of Inter Milan.
Despite a late goal from Raphinha in the 87th minute that seemed to book their spot in the final, Barça crumbled as Inter struck back through Francesco Acerbi in the 93rd minute, leveling the tie 3-3 on the night and 6-6 on aggregate to force extra time.
The pulsating clash was filled with controversy, and Marciniak found himself at the center of several contentious decisions.
He awarded Inter a penalty after VAR deemed Pau Cubarsi had fouled Lautaro Martinez. Later, a Barcelona penalty shout was downgraded to a free-kick after a foul on Lamine Yamal was ruled to have occurred outside the box—without a second yellow card for Henrikh Mkhitaryan, despite protest from the Barca bench.
Barcelona were also incensed by Inter’s stoppage-time equalizer, arguing that Denzel Dumfries had fouled Gerard Martin in the build-up. Manager Hansi Flick and substitute Pau Victor were both booked amid the chaos on the touchline, with post-match frustrations boiling over.
Midfielder Pedri didn’t hold back, stating, “This isn’t the first time we’ve had issues with this referee. UEFA needs to take a closer look. Every 50/50 call seemed to go their way.”
