Following the intervention of the video assistant, Szymon Marciniak awarded PSG a penalty after Tino Livramento touched the ball with his left elbow. Photo: Getty Images/James Gill
Newcastle United were denied one of the most famous victories in their European history against Paris Saint-Germain due to a hugely controversial injury-time penalty called a «disgrace» and a «robbery» » experts.
Eddie Howe, the Newcastle manager, said he felt a huge sense of injustice that a «wrong decision» had been made and that referee Szymon Marciniak had been put under «extreme pressure».
The incident occurred as Newcastle held a one-goal lead into stoppage time despite a second-half barrage from the French champions.
Marciniak initially rejected appeals after Ousmane Dembele's cross hit Tino Livramento in the chest. before hitting his elbow, only to award a penalty after the video assistant referee advised him to reconsider his decision.
«This is by no means a penalty…at this level it's a disgrace» 😤@allysbears and @jjenas8 have a heated debate over the award of the penalty that cost Newcastle the win… .@laura_woodsy | #UCL pic.twitter.com/Da8dMe6dCc
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 28, 2023
Kylian Mbappe scored from the penalty spot to cancel out Alexander Isak's opener to secure a 1-1 draw, meaning Newcastle must beat Milan and hope the French side fail to beat Borussia Dortmund in the final round of matches to secure passage to the round of 16 of the Champions League.
The penalty would not be awarded in the Premier League as UEFA has stricter rules on whether to hand the ball if the ball bounces off the body first player.
Asked by Telegraph Sport if he felt a great sense of common sense in response to the injustice, Howe replied: “Yes, I know, in my opinion it was the wrong decision. There are so many things to consider at this point, most notably speed. It was a ricochet that, when slowed down, looked completely different than in real life.
“The ball first hits him in the chest, then rises and hits his hand. But his arm is not in an unnatural position, they [his arms] are lowered along his body, but he is in a running motion.
“I think it's the wrong decision and it's very frustrating for us because you know how little time there is left in the game. There's nothing we can do about it now.”
Howe added: “Yes, of course [it's a struggle with controlling my anger]. But I have to control myself, this is my job, and losing control of my emotions when I speak is useless.
“I’m just devastated for the players; how they acted under very difficult circumstances and how that decision affected the group. Our fate is not in our hands now, and after this situation it is difficult to come to terms with it.
“I am still coming to terms with it. I feel very bad, but at the same time I am happy with the players.
“The squad is very weak, we deserved to win. Eventually our luck ran out. The pressure on the referee from the crowd was enormous.»
Would a penalty be worth it in the Premier League?
“No chance,” one senior judge replied when asked by Telegraph Sport. «And some English fans believe that everywhere is better…»
The law states that handball must be awarded if a player «deliberately touches the ball with his hand or arm… for example by moving his arm or arm towards ball,” and it is mentioned that the body becomes “unnaturally larger.”
UEFA has historically instructed its referees to be stricter than the Premier League in applying these guidelines, as previously in European competitions players were often penalized when the ball hit the hand after bouncing off the body.
Lawmakers in England initially used the same tougher rules three years ago, but they were quickly abandoned after complaints from players and coaches.
Marciniak is reviewing the incident, before awarding a penalty to hosts Paris Saint-Germain. Photo: Getty Images/Alain Jocard
Reviewing Tuesday's missed penalty, a source familiar with Premier League refereeing explained why it was not awarded in England. «Hand position is key — it's natural,» the source said. “From the chest to the elbow. Not above the head or unexplained by body position. In addition, a rejection does not mean that there is no penalty at all. Again, it all comes down to hand position. The Premier League has a different interpretation to other leagues.»
This season also saw UEFA soften its previously harsh approach to the game of handball. In April, when the UEFA Football Council held its first meeting in Nyon, Switzerland, it was agreed that «the same uniform approach… should be applied in domestic competitions across Europe.»
The group also recommended that «UEFA clarify that a player should not be called for a handball violation if the ball has previously been deflected away from his own body and in particular when the ball is not heading towards the goal.»
< p>However, Marciniak and War Tomasz Kwiatkowski forgot about this UEFA recommendation.
In a clear sign that UEFA believes the officials were wrong, a new official will take over Kwiatkowski's duties for the Real Sociedad-Real Sociedad match. RB Salzburg
However, no action will be taken against Marciniak as he was already scheduled to be absent from the next round of matches due to the Club World Cup.
UEFA has a policy of not discussing incidents on the field of play, but a source with insight into the governing body's position later claimed the referee and Ware made a mistake rather than following the wrong instructions.
Why did Miley avoid a penalty?
Midway through the second half , in a similar situation in the Livramento incident, the ball bounced and touched the hand of Lewis Miley, who was stopped by Var.
The ball seemed to touch Lewis Miley's hand
It was determined that Miley's hand was in a natural position and there was no intentional hand play. , although there doesn't seem to be much difference between this and what was given.
TNT sports pundit Jermaine Jenas said: “The one on Lewis Miley is bouncing towards his hand. Var looked at it carefully and said it was not a penalty. This is negligence of the game. I'm so upset.»
I understand Newcastle's frustration — the handball law needs to be changed 4fcb-9cb2-3558be7a5273.html?direct=true&id=47faa82f-30df-4fcb-9cb2-3558be7a5273&noblackrule=false&fullwidth=false&truncated=false&expandable=false' class='tmg-particle embed wrp-47faa 82f-30df-4fcb-9cb2-3558be7a5273' name ='Keith Hackett' data-business-type='editorial' loading='eager' scroll='no'frameborder='0' style='width: 100%; min-width: 100%; border: none; position: static; display: block; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;'>
The decision to penalize Livramento for handball underscores why Ifab must review the law. Of course, this won't help Howe's side now, but the law needs to be rethought to stop inconsistent decision-making.
The law states that it is an offense if a player intentionally touches the ball with his hand or arm, such as by pointing his hand towards the ball. The referees must decide in this situation whether Livramento intentionally handled the ball.
Given his forward movement and downward movement of his arm (see below), the match officials determined that a foul had been committed. But these decisions become so subjective that referees must take into account the player's movements and natural hand position. I can understand Newcastle's disappointment about this.
My ongoing concern is that handball law is becoming too subjective among officials, and this is not helped by constant slow-motion replays that change the context of the incident. I would avoid slow motion replays altogether as I don't believe there is any benefit to it and would just play in real time instead. All these slow motion replays make decision making difficult. Most judges would make a decision based on slow motion, but this does not reflect the reality of the situation — it is a false picture.
In April last year, in its guidelines for the upcoming season, the UEFA board recommended clarity that a handball player should not be called for a foul if the ball had previously been deflected away from his own body. But this recommendation was not implemented — and Newcastle paid for it at the Parc des Princes.
The best way forward is to significantly simplify the rules of handball and apply it to all competitions to ensure consistency in decision making. Rework the law and make it simpler (whether it's handballing intentionally or not) and do away with slow replays, and we might start to see progress.
How did football react?
The decision was widely condemned elsewhere, and TNT pundit Jermaine Jenas was outraged.
“This is one of the most disgraceful decisions I have seen in a long time,” said the former Newcastle midfielder. “This is a shocking decision — such punishment is not applied in any area of life. What is he going to do with his arms — wrap them around his back?
“I'm angry. There is a feeling that you have been deceived. It should have been a historic win that took them to the last game, but they were completely robbed.
“The one on Lewis Miley bounces towards his hand. Var looked at it carefully and said it was not a penalty. This is a dereliction of the game and what the players deserve. I'm so upset.”
Jermaine Jenas watches the 97th minute penalty decision on the touchline in Paris 😤#UCL | @jjenas8 pic.twitter.com/S2u3fiqjwD
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 28, 2023
Those sentiments were echoed by former Scotland international Ally McCoist, who said: “It comes off his chest.” . , then hits the left elbow. If this is a punishment, then we better forget about it.
“If we get a penalty for this, it’s a shame. The whole night will be remembered for this decision. This fine ruined the whole evening. They will have to put the word “deliberate” back into the law somewhere.”
Former Newcastle captain Alan Shearer said on X, formerly known as Twitter: «Do me a f***ing favour.» Dude, what nonsense… #Var.” The comment was shared by Newcastle co-owner Jamie Reuben with the comment: «What Alan said.»
Despite the late hammer blow, Newcastle put in a superb performance against one of Europe's giants, meaning they are guaranteed at least a place in the Europa League if they can avoid defeat at home to Milan in the last group game.
“Pride will come with time,” Howe said. “We will look at the positives of what the players have given. I couldn't ask for more.
“There were some big performances and I'm so disappointed that they didn't get to celebrate this moment of success with a win. But we are still competing, we are still fighting.
“When the draw was announced it was a 'group of death' and I don't think many people gave us a chance to get out of it and sitting here now I'm a little upset that it's out of our hands because when I remember the two games in Dortmund. I felt we could have played better in these matches.
“I don't think now is the time for that. I think it's probably time to be positive and say that if we can beat Milan then good things can come from that.»
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