UEFA intervenes the Metropolitano pitch after Flick's complaints

MadridUEFA will ensure that the grass at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano is in good condition for this Tuesday's Atlético de Madrid-Barça match. Following a meeting held this morning in the Spanish capital with representatives from the clubs and UEFA, prompted by complaints from Hansi Flick, who found the turf to be too high and dry during yesterday's training session –he didn't hesitate to frown and discuss it with his coaching staff–, the continental governing body has secured a commitment from the Madrid club. They will cut the grass to 26 millimeters –the maximum allowed is 30– and water it both before the game and at halftime. "There's no news. It's a ridiculous fuss," assured the president of Atlético de Madrid, Enrique Cerezo.

In the Copa del Rey match two months ago at the same venue, which ended with a resounding 4-0 victory for Atlético de Madrid, Barça complained about the state of the pitch. It was not a complaint in vain; the Blaugrana felt highly disadvantaged, considering that the condition of the grass contributed to the strange bounce the ball took in the play that led to the 1-0 for the home team, after Eric García passed the ball back to Joan Garcia, and it unexpectedly bounced up, causing a poor control by the goalkeeper.

In the European context, it should also be recalled that Barça formally complained to UEFA on Thursday about the refereeing of Wednesday's match against Atlético de Madrid. The claim focused on Marc Pubill's handball in the 54th minute, which, according to the azulgrana club, should have been signaled as a penalty. Barça understood that this decision, along with the serious non-intervention of the VAR, constituted a significant error. Therefore, it requested the opening of an investigation, access to the refereeing communications, and, where appropriate, official recognition of the errors and the adoption of relevant measures. A complaint that has been rejected by the European football body. "I will ask the club's legal services to investigate the grounds for why our request to UEFA has not been successful," expressed the azulgrana president, Rafa Yuste, before entering the board lunch.

An arbitration choice to avoid controversy

Although these complaints often go nowhere –UEFA shields the refereeing body and has already informed Barça that it will not open any investigation–, to defuse this tense scenario, Roberto Rosetti, head of European refereeing, was obliged to opt for a safe bet for the second leg. When it comes to saving the furniture, there are two names on the table: Frenchman Clément Turpin and Pole Szymon Marciniak. The latter, however, refereed last season’s Inter Milan-Barça Champions League semi-final, and his performance stirred up a lot of controversy. Therefore, the choice was practically reduced to a single name: Turpin, who coincidentally already officiated the first leg of the same tie between the Catalans and the Lombards at Montjuïc, which ended 3-3.

With the choice of Clément Turpin and with UEFA's commitment that Atlético will cut the grass to 26 millimeters and water it both before the match and at halftime, Barça is confident that the referees will not be protagonists in the azulgrana's attempt to come back in Madrid.