Barcelona forward Raphinha has issued an apology for a controversial gesture directed at Atletico Madrid fans following his team’s elimination from the Champions League quarter-finals.
The Brazil international, who was sidelined with a hamstring injury for Tuesday’s decisive match, was seen making a "robbed" sign with his hands and later told reporters that Barcelona had been "robbed" over the two legs.
He also gestured towards Atletico supporters, seemingly indicating they would be eliminated in the next round, appearing to tell fans "you are out."
Raphinha later expressed regret for his actions towards the crowd.
"I apologise for my gesture, which does not reflect my values or character," he told DAZN on Wednesday. "It was an act in a moment of tension, in response to a fan who was disrespecting me."
He is now likely to face disciplinary action from Uefa for his conduct at the Metropolitano stadium.
Despite the apology for his gesture, Raphinha stood firm on his criticism of the match officials.
"To me, it was ‘robbed’," he reiterated to reporters on Tuesday. "Not only this match, but the other one as well. The refereeing was very bad. Incredible the decisions that they made. Atletico made a lot of fouls and the referee didn’t show a single yellow card."
Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso dismissed Raphinha’s accusations as "nonsense”.
"I respect everyone's opinion, but let's not say that it was a robbery, because it wasn't like that," Musso countered. "We won it on the field. We won 2-0 on the road.
“It’s a team that we respect a lot and are very motivated to play against. It’s a great team, but I think that to talk about robbery is just crazy."
Barcelona president Joan Laporta echoed Raphinha’s sentiments, describing the refereeing as "shameful" and "inadmissible." The club has indicated plans to lodge a formal complaint with Uefa.
Barcelona secured a 2-1 victory on Tuesday but were ultimately eliminated 3-2 on aggregate, having lost the first leg 2-0 at home.
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