Newcastle United were heartbroken by Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes when Kylian Mbappe equalised from the penalty spot in the 8th minute.
The penalty penalty stunned Newcastle enthusiasts and pundits as the ball hit Tino Livramento’s arm after bouncing off his body. Referee Szymon Marciniak first rejected PSG’s appeals, even condemning Goncalo Ramos for his protests, but replaced his brain after consulting the VAR Watcher.
Mbappe didn’t give Nick Pope any chance from 12 yards, ensuring that it is PSG and not Newcastle who will take their fate into their own hands in the final round. But why was it given?
UEFA’s competitions follow exactly the same trend as the national competitions of its member countries, with some freedom in the application of safe rules.
One of the areas of divergence concerns those occasions where the ball strikes another body part first, with Premier League officials making allowances for those occasions where this happens and the arm is in a natural position.
Towards the end of last season, the UEFA Football Board included this in a range of recommendations for the governing body. “In their guidelines for the next season, the Board recommends that UEFA should clarify that no handball offence should be called on a player if the ball is previously deflected from his own body and, in particular, when the ball does not go towards the goal,” the findings read, though this was merely a recommendation.
The gray domain is whether Livramento made his body unusually large, but many were stunned. That organization included Ally McCoist, who worked for TNT Sports and made her emotions known.
“It comes out of his chest and hits his left elbow. I said on observation that if it was a penalty, you better forget it,” McCoist said. Surely it’s never a penalty. If we take consequences for that, at this level of the biggest club festival on the planet, it would be a disgrace. “
Should a penalty have been given? Have your say in the comments section
Host Laura Woods then asked about the rule regarding players abnormally enlarging their bodies. Former Newcastle midfielder Jermaine Jenas also provided research and was equally stunned.
“When you look at this resolution, it’s one of the most embarrassing resolutions I’ve noticed in a long time,” he said. “The explanation for this is that you look at the nature of the game, all the power that the players have put into it, and it all comes down to a shocking resolution made through a referee.
“It’s a deflection off his body onto his arm – not in any walk of life is that a penalty. You can clearly see it hits Livramento’s chest, onto his arm – what’s he supposed to do with his arms, wrap them around his back?
“It deserves to be one of those historic victories that will take them to this last game, AC Milan,” he added. “They can still get through, don’t get me wrong, but they’ve been completely robbed. “”
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