Frenkie de Jong and Eric Garcia angry at decisions during Atletico defeat: ‘If it’s not AI, then it’s a shame’
Barcelona stars Frenkie de Jong and Eric Garcia both publicly complained about the manager during their 4-0 defeat against Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final. The biggest talking point, apart from Los Colchoneros’ stunning victory, was VAR’s eight-minute decision to disallow Pau Cubarsi’s offside goal.
Manager Hansi Flick called the Spanish referees a ‘chaos’ after the game, protesting the offside decision against Cubarsi, the procedure and Giuliano Simeone remaining on the pitch. Meanwhile, Barcelona will file a complaint with the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) about its manager.
Lamine Yamal was trying to start a fight with Marc Pubill.pic.twitter.com/9qN1oBujmQ
– Atlético Universe (@atletiuniverse) February 13, 2026
‘If it’s not AI, it’s a shame’ – Frenkie de Jong
Speaking after the game with Sporty TV, as told by MD, the night’s captain Frenkie de Jong was also confused by the decision to disallow Cubarsi’s goal.
“I saw the picture later and it’s clear that there was no offside. The picture shown on TV as an offside call doesn’t show contact with the ball, then you see the picture where Fermín shoots with the defender a meter behind Robert. I think it’s very surprising.”
The CTA explains why the review of Cubarsí’s disallowed goal took so long. “It was not possible to determine where the offside would be due to the crowding situation. For this reason, manual offside lines were drawn for a precise and correct decision”. [@partidazocope] pic.twitter.com/MjDv7LEQH1
– barcacentre (@barcacentre) February 12, 2026
“He (the referee) can’t do much, because he’s also waiting. He doesn’t have a picture or a video. But the VAR has it. The picture I saw, if it’s not AI, you can’t see anymore… If this is a picture, it’s a shame because it’s very clear.”
It is possible that de Jong did not see that it was Cubarsi who was given offside, rather Robert Lewandowski, who was on the sidelines when he touched Fermin Lopez’s shot.
Eric Garcia: ‘It seems easy to make decisions against us’
Meanwhile, it was a night to forget for Eric Garcia, who scored his goal and was sent off. He was also unhappy with the manager.
“I think it’s a shame that the game was stopped for six minutes to decide if it was offside or not if they have an automatic referee. It’s an offside that you can’t see. We’ve made things difficult for ourselves, and then we add this. We know who we’re playing against, and we have to continue,” said MD.
Eric García’s Las declaraciones tras el partido del Metropolitano pic.twitter.com/ne694EXtKj
– Diario AS (@diarioas) February 12, 2026
“The challenge from Giuliano on Balde is a very clear red card. Then I slip, but he hits me. It seems very easy to do things against us.”
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