Source: REUTERS/Juan Medina
[Saba Sports News] In a previous Champions League group match, Atletico Madrid lost 1-3 at home to Lille. Notably, Atletico player Koke was penalized for handball, resulting in a penalty for the opposing team. According to Spanish media reports, Atletico Madrid has officially complained to UEFA about this. The reports state that Atletico believes this was a completely incorrect decision and is particularly puzzled as to why VAR did not intervene to ask the referee to review the play. At that time, the score was 1-1; this penalty ultimately dashed Atletico’s hopes of winning at home. After the match, key team members such as Diego Simeone, Jan Oblak, and Julian Alvarez expressed their confusion over this decision. Simeone stated that the referee’s explanations were inconsistent—first claiming it was handball and then saying it was a foul by Koke—while Oblak bluntly stated that no one could understand this decision. Although Lille’s coach Bruno Genesio said it did not affect the course of the match, Atletico Madrid believes this decision caused significant harm to the team in such a high-level competition as the Champions League and thus decided to formally complain to UEFA.