Pedri Urges UEFA to Investigate Referee After Controversial Champions League Exit

Barcelona's hopes of reaching their first Champions League final since 2015 were dashed in dramatic fashion on Tuesday night, as they fell to Inter Milan in a 4-3 extra-time defeat at San Siro — 7-6 on aggregate. But beyond the heartbreak of elimination, much of the post-match focus centered on the officiating, with Barça midfielder Pedri openly calling for UEFA to take action.

The 21-year-old Spaniard didn’t mince words when discussing referee Szymon Marciniak’s performance, suggesting Barcelona were once again on the wrong end of key decisions.

“It’s not the first time this has happened to us with this referee, UEFA should look into it. There are things I don’t understand and they’re hard to explain. All the 50-50 calls go their way. In the penalty on Lamine, which was later called a foul, he didn’t show a yellow card to Mkhitaryan, which would have been his second.”

The criticism of Marciniak was echoed by Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick, who also questioned the officiating while praising his team’s effort.

Defender Eric García also voiced concerns about the pattern of refereeing decisions at San Siro, referencing previous controversial matches against Inter.

“I have come three times to Inter's stadium and extraneous things always happen that don't go our way,” García told Movistar. “We all know what happened with these [referees] the last time we came here. It's not an excuse because we have conceded seven goals, but...”

Barcelona’s exit was sealed by Francesco Acerbi’s late equalizer and Davide Frattesi’s extra-time winner, after Raphinha had seemingly completed a comeback with an 87th-minute goal. The match featured multiple VAR interventions, including two calls that initially went Barcelona’s way before being overturned.

Despite the bitter defeat, Pedri emphasized the need to look forward:

“Proud of the team. A bit disappointed because we managed to come back from a result that went very much against us.”
“It’s very cruel. It’s true that the team gave everything and deserved to be in the final, but we’re young and we have to learn from this—and next year we’ll come back even stronger.”
“Right now we’re gutted, but starting tomorrow we have to focus on Madrid because half the league is at stake.”

Barcelona now shift their focus to domestic competition, with a crucial El Clásico against Real Madrid on the horizon. A win could help solidify their grip on the La Liga title and provide some redemption after a painful European night.

_{Featured Image Credit: Pixabay / jorono, Instagram / @fcbarcelona}