President Joan Laporta Lodges Formal Protest With UEFA Leadership Over Champions League Refereeing Standards

Joan Laporta contacted Aleksander Ceferin to protest refereeing decisions in Barcelona's matches against Atletico Madrid, citing VAR errors and missed penalties.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 16, 2026, 7:05 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Mundo Deportivo

Direct Presidential Intervention At The Highest Levels

Following Barcelona’s exit from the Champions League, President Joan Laporta has initiated a high-level diplomatic protest within European football’s governing body. According to a report by Mundo Deportivo, Laporta utilized his strengthened relationship with UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin to bypass standard channels and voice his frustrations directly. This move comes as Barcelona has sought to repair ties with UEFA after distancing itself from the Super League project, a context Laporta leveraged to ensure his complaints reached the top of the organization.

Confronting UEFA Executives At Metropolitano Stadium

The dissatisfaction was not limited to private phone calls, as Laporta reportedly took immediate action during the second leg of the tie. Reports indicate that while present at the Metropolitano Stadium, the Barcelona president approached UEFA General Secretary Theodoros Theodoridis and his deputy, Giorgio Marchetti. During these face-to-face encounters, Laporta lodged a direct complaint regarding what he viewed as a consistent failure of the officiating crew to maintain competitive fairness during the high-stakes encounter.

Specific Grievances Regarding Second Leg Officiating

The primary focus of Laporta’s criticism involved the performance of French referee Clément Turpin during the match in Madrid. According to the report, Laporta highlighted the failure to award a penalty to Dani Olmo and questioned the lack of disciplinary action following a forceful intervention by goalkeeper Musso on Fermín Lopez. The president’s anger was further exacerbated by the VAR-led decision to upgrade Eric Garcia’s yellow card to a red, an intervention he viewed as a turning point that disadvantaged his squad.