by Newcastle United were denied one of the most famous wins in their European history against Paris St-Germain by a hugely controversial injury-time penalty which was labeled a “disgrace” and “robbery” by the onlookers.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe admitted he felt a huge sense of injustice that the “wrong decision” had been reached and put “a lot of pressure” on referee Szymon Marciniak when the visitors looked set to go ahead. despite a barrage in the second half.
Marciniak first threw away appeals after Ousmane Dembélé’s cross hit Tino Livramento’s chest before hitting his elbow, only to be awarded the spot-kick after being advised to review his decision by the video assistant referee.
Kylian Mbappé scored from the spot to cancel out Alexander Isak’s opener and secure a 1-1 draw which means Newcastle must beat AC Milan and hopefully the French side will fail to win against Borussia Dortmund in the final round of fixtures to qualify for the Champions League. last 16.
The penalty would not have been given in the Premier League, with Uefa stricter rules on whether handballs should be given if the ball bounces off the players’ bodies first.
Asked by Telegraph Sport if he felt a huge sense of injustice, Howe replied: “Yeah, I don’t care, I don’t think it was the right decision. There are so many things to consider at that moment, first the pace. It was a ricochet that when slowed down looks completely different to the live event.
“The ball hits his chest first, comes up and hits his hand. But their hand is not in an unnatural position, they [his arms] is down by his side but he is running.
“I think it’s a poor decision and it makes us very frustrated because you know how little time is left in the game. There’s nothing we can do about it now.”
Howe said: “Yes, of course [it’s a struggle to control my anger]. But I have to control myself, that’s my job and it does no good to lose control of your emotions when I speak.
“I’m devastated for the players. The way they performed in very difficult circumstances and what that decision does for the group. Our destiny is not in our own hands now and that is hard to accept after being in that position.
“I’m still coming to terms with it. I feel really fair, but at the same time happy with the players.
“The squad is very thin, we deserved to win. Our luck ran out at the end. The crowd put a lot of pressure on the referee.”
Would the penalty stand in the Premier League?
“Not a chance,” replied one senior top-flight official when asked by Telegraph Sport. “And some English fans think it’s better everywhere else!”
The law states that a handball should be called if “a player intentionally touches the ball with his or her hand . . . for example, moving his or her hand towards the ball” and mentions making the body “unnaturally”.
However, Uefa has instructed its referees to be stricter than the Premier League in administering that instruction, and players are often automatically penalized in European competition if the ball hits a hand after hitting the body. deflection.
Legislators in England first adopted the same tougher rules three years ago, but they were quickly dropped after players and managers complained.
The PGMOL, the refereeing body in charge of top-flight English football, has adopted an approach where body position is more important in decision-making.
Analyzing the penalty late on Tuesday, a source with knowledge of the Premier League official explained why it would not have been given in England. “Hand position is key – it’s natural,” said the source. “Out of the chest and into the elbow. It is not over the head or inexplicable by body position. Also, a true deflection does not generally mean a pen. Again, it comes down to the arm position. The Premier League takes a different interpretation from the other leagues.”
Then, in April, when the Uefa Football Board held its first meeting in Nyon, Switzerland, the handball rule agreed with recommendations for referees in general that “the same unified approach… should be applied in force in domestic competitions across Europe”.
The group also suggested that “Uefa should make it clear that no handball offense should be called against a player if the ball has previously been deflected from his own body and, in particular, when the ball does not go towards the goal”.
That recommendation to Uefa was not implemented for this season, however, as Marciniak’s decision on Tuesday showed.
Why did Miley escape a penalty shout?
Midway through the second half, in a Livramento-like incident, the ball jumped up and touched Lewis Miley’s hand, which Var checked.
It was ruled that Miley’s hand was in a natural position and that there was no deliberate handball, although there does not appear to be much difference between this and the one given. TNT journalist Jenas said: “Lewis Miley’s head bounces up to his hand. Var had a very good view of it and said it wasn’t a penalty. The game is neglect. I’m so frustrated.”
I understand the frustration in Newcastle – the handball law needs to be changed
The decision to penalize Livramento for handball shows why Ifab needs a review of the law. It won’t help Howe’s side now, of course, but the law needs to be rethought to eliminate inconsistent decision-making.
The law states that it is an offense if a player deliberately touches the ball with their hand/arm, for example moving the hand/arm towards the ball. The officials have to judge in this case whether Livramento deliberately handled the ball.
Given his forward momentum and downward movement of the arm (see below), the match officials ruled that an offense had been committed. But these decisions become so subjective that the referees must take into account the player’s movement and natural hand position. I understand Newcastle’s frustration at this point.
It is a constant concern of mine that handball law is becoming too subjective among officials and is not helping the constant slow replays that change the context of an incident. I’d get rid of slow-motion replays for one, as I don’t believe there’s an advantage to it, and instead just play in real-time. All these slow replays complicate the decision-making process. Most references would make a decision based on slow motion, but that’s not the truth – it’s a false picture.
Last April, in their guidelines for the upcoming season, the Uefa board suggested that there should be clarity that no handball offense should be called against a player if the ball is previously deflected from his own body. But this proposal was not implemented – and Newcastle paid the price at the Parc des Princes.
The best way forward is to make things much simpler regarding the handball law, and apply it to all competitions so that there is consistency in decision-making. Rework the law and make it simpler – intentional handball or not – and get rid of the slow motion replays, and maybe we’ll start to see progress.
How did the football respond?
The decision was widely criticized elsewhere, and the TNT pundit Jermaine Jenas incensed.
“It’s one of the most embarrassing decisions I’ve seen in a long time,” said the former Newcastle midfielder. “It’s a shocking decision – that’s not a punishment in any kind of life. What are his arms meant to do – wrap them around his back?
“I’m joking. There is a feeling of being cheated. It should have been a historic win going into the last game but they were completely robbed.
“Lewis Miley’s head bounces up to his arm. Var had a very good view of it and said it wasn’t a penalty. It is a neglect of the game and what the players deserve. I’m so frustrated.”
Those sentiments were echoed by former Scotland international Ally McCoist who said: “It comes off his chest, then he hits his left elbow. If that’s a punishment we might as well forget it.
“If we’re giving away penalties for that, it’s a shame. The entire night will be remembered for that decision. That affected Newcastle’s overall result…
“That penalty has spoiled the whole evening. They’re going to have to put the word ‘intentional’ back in the law somewhere.”
Former Newcastle captain Alan Shearer said on X, formerly known as Twitter: “F—– f—— me man what a load of s— #Var .” Jamie Reuben, co-owner of Newcastle, commented, with the comment “What Alan said.”
Despite the late hammer blow, Newcastle gave a great performance against one of the European giants and the point means that they are guaranteed at least a place in the Europa League if they can avoid defeat at home against AC Milan in their final group game .
“Pride will come in time,” Howe said. “We will be looking at the positives that the players have brought. I couldn’t have asked for more.
“There were some huge performances and I’m so disappointed they didn’t celebrate that moment of success with the win. But we are still in the competition, we are still fighting.
“When the draw came out, it was the ‘group of death’ and I don’t think many people gave us a chance to qualify from it and sitting here now, I’m a bit disappointed it’s not in our hands because when I look back on the two Dortmund games, I felt we could have done better in those games.
“I don’t think this is the time for that, I think it’s time to be positive and say if we can beat Milan, good things can happen from it.”
