Referee Ban After Controversial Barcelona Match

Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs will not officiate any UEFA competitions this season, according to multiple Spanish reports. This decision follows his performance in the recent quarter-final first leg between Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, where his officiating drew considerable criticism.

Kovacs's decisions during the match were highly contentious. An initial yellow card for Barcelona's Pau Cubarsi was upgraded to a straight red after VAR review for a foul that some deemed less severe. Furthermore, a crucial incident in the 54th minute involved a goal kick taken by Atlético's Marc Pubill, who had stopped the ball with his hand before retaking it. Barcelona manager Hansi Flick argued this should have resulted in a penalty and card, and he explicitly blamed German video referee Christian Dingert for not intervening.