2023-11-29 12:07:00
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The VAR has done it again: With a controversial penalty decision for PSG, it causes a lot of incomprehension.
The otherwise level-headed and even-tempered Eddie Howe had to bite his tongue after the game to keep from venting his emotions in front of the media. The Newcastle coach had recently seen his team deprived of an extremely important victory in the Champions League against Paris St-Germain by an extremely questionable penalty in the 98th minute.
What happened? A cross from Ousmane Dembélé in the 95th minute hit Newcastle defender Tino Livramento’s forearm. After studying VAR, the Polish referee Szymon Marciniak decided on a penalty. Kylian Mbappé sank it to make the final score 1-1.
Legend: Looking for explanations The Newcastle players harass referee Szymon Marciniak. IMAGO / Every Second Media
Important (wrong) decision?
Ally McCoist, expert at TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport), did not hold back in the analysis. “Newcastle was robbed today,” said the former Scottish footballer. When asked about this statement, Howe said: “I couldn’t have summed it up better because I’m not allowed to say it.”
What the Newcastle coach did say, however, was that he felt a sense of injustice. «The ball goes to the chest first and then to the hand. But this is not in an unnatural position. It’s very frustrating for us,” Howe continued.
Newcastle legend Alan Shearer vented his anger on social media. “Do me a damn favor and stop it. “That’s a load of shit,” wrote the England legend X.
Jermain Jenas, also a former English international, had no understanding for the penalty verdict: “It was one of the most scandalous decisions in a long time,” said Jenas.
It is quite possible that this scene will remain in the minds of the Newcastle players for a long time, because the late equalizer means that Newcastle no longer has progress in the “premier league” in their own hands before the final group match day. The “Magpies” need a win against Milan and at the same time have to hope that Dortmund, which has already qualified for the knockout phase, does not lose against PSG.
Handball recommendation ignored
But was the penalty decision right or wrong according to the rule book? As is often the case with hand penalties, this question can hardly be answered in the end. But the fact is that it didn’t matter for the assessment that the ball hit Livramento’s forearm via his chest.
UEFA is (still) refraining from making this specification, although an advisory committee to UEFA recommended last April that no handball should be penalized if the ball bounces from another part of the body onto the hand and the ball does not go towards the goal.
UEFA did not comment on the controversial penalty decision in Paris, especially since referee decisions are generally not commented on. Nevertheless, the European association got involved on Wednesday. Tomasz Kwiatkowski, the VAR for the game between PSG and Newcastle, has been removed from the list for Wednesday’s game between Real Sociedad and Salzburg. It is unknown whether there is a direct connection to the controversial penalty whistle.
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