Nearly four months on, Barcelona has finally won a moral victory. UEFA has now issued clear instructions to referees on penalties — a directive from European football’s governing body.
If a player deliberately handles the ball inside his own box while the ball is in play, the referee must award a penalty, UEFA said. In such cases, no explanation or so-called “common sense” may be applied, it added.
The new directive follows a controversial incident in the first leg of a Champions League quarterfinal. That match, between Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, was played on 8 April 2026.
From a goal kick, Atlético goalkeeper Juan Musso played the ball to Marc Pubill, who then stopped it with his hand inside his own box while it was still in play. But the main referee, István Kovács, did not award a penalty, and VAR did not call him over to review the incident.
Barcelona then lodged a formal complaint, demanding that the referee’s error be acknowledged. But UEFA’s disciplinary committee ruled the complaint inadmissible. Now, with the new directive, UEFA has, in a roundabout way, accepted that Barcelona was right.
At the time of the disputed incident, Barcelona were trailing Atlético 1-0. They ultimately lost the match 2-0, and, beaten over the two legs by the Madrid side, failed to reach the Champions League semifinals.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report