UEFA has come under intense scrutiny following the controversial officiating in Barcelona’s recent Champions League clash with Inter Milan.
The same referee, Pol van Boekel, was appointed as the in-charge of the VAR room for this match, just weeks after overseeing a similarly contentious VAR decision in Barcelona’s game against Bayern Munich.
On both occasions, Van Boekel’s decisions have left fans and pundits alike questioning whether these are mere coincidences or part of a larger agenda against the Catalan club.
In the game against Inter Milan, Barcelona was denied what many believed to be a clear penalty following a handball by Denzel Dumfries. Despite replays suggesting a clear infringement, the VAR panel, led by Van Boekel, failed to recommend the referee to review the incident on the monitor.
This wasn’t the first time Van Boekel’s VAR decisions raised eyebrows. Just a few weeks ago, during Barcelona’s match against Bayern Munich, the Dutch official was also in charge of the VAR panel, where a similarly clear penalty claim was dismissed.
Ousmane Dembélé was fouled by Alphonso Davies inside the box, but no penalty was awarded, and Barcelona’s protest fell on deaf ears.
These back-to-back incidents inevitably raise serious questions. Were these simply errors of judgment, or is there something more sinister at play?
While it’s possible to write off a single controversial decision as a mistake, the recurrence of these issues in two consecutive games makes it harder to dismiss the idea of bias or a hidden agenda.
Could UEFA be punishing Barcelona for their involvement in the European Super League (ESL), a project that the governing body has openly opposed?
Given UEFA’s known animosity towards the three founding ESL clubs—Juventus, Real Madrid, and Barcelona—it’s hard to rule out the possibility of an underlying agenda against the Catalan club.
Such suspicions have only been heightened by the questionable officiating in these matches, which deserve a thorough investigation.
On CBS Sports, Thierry Henry, Micah Richards, and Jamie Carragher discussed the incident, agreeing that Dumfries’ handball warranted a penalty.
Christina Unkel, a respected FIFA-certified official, echoed this sentiment, stating that Barcelona should have been awarded the penalty. However, Unkel defended the referee’s decision to disallow Pedri’s goal, citing Ansu Fati’s handball in the build-up.
Unkel argued that Fati’s handball could be seen as “deliberate,” given that his hand was outside his natural silhouette, despite others, including the panelists, suggesting that the ball had been pushed into Fati’s hand by the Inter goalkeeper.
The debate surrounding these controversial decisions highlights the complexity of VAR and how subjective interpretations can influence outcomes.
However, while officiating remains a major talking point, it’s crucial to acknowledge that Barcelona’s performance on the field also played a role in the result. Xavi Hernández’s tactical choices were far from ideal.
His decision to play Raphinha out of position for almost 50 minutes and opting for Marcos Alonso in place of Alejandro Balde contributed to an unbalanced and ineffective approach.
Xavi needs to take responsibility for these tactical errors and reassess his team’s strategy. The failure to adapt and rectify these issues could hinder Barcelona’s ability to reach their full potential this season, especially with the talented squad at his disposal. A clearer, more cohesive game plan is essential if Barcelona is to remain competitive on all fronts.
As it stands, Barcelona’s involvement in the Champions League remains in jeopardy, and the club’s fans are left to wonder: Are these controversial officiating decisions simply mistakes, or is there something more at play? Only time will tell, but one thing is clear: Barcelona deserves answers.
