Referee followed the handbook to decline to give a penalty that would have been ludicrous
There was disbelief by the home side at the Allianz Arena when Bayern Munich were denied an apparent penalty against Paris Saint-Germain.
With Bayern already chasing the game in the Champions League semi-final second leg, it was a significant moment.
Vitinha attempted to clear the ball inside his own box but his effort hit the arm of Joao Neves. Bayern players immediately appealed but referee Joao Pinheiro waved play on. VAR checked the incident and confirmed the onfield decision.
In modern interpretations of handball, the ball striking a player with his arm away from his body is a penalty, but this was one of those situations where the law actually got it spot on.
According to the Laws of the Game, it is not considered handball when a player is hit on the arm by a ball that has been played unexpectedly by a teammate, unless it directly creates a goal or an immediate scoring opportunity. In other words, unless it gives them the advantage.
A handball call is a punishment for either denying an opponent or getting some form of advantage during play. What advantage could Neves possibly have had by blocking the clearance?
There are moments where players simply cannot react. Vitinha’s clearance was blasted at close range. Neves had almost no time to move or adjust his body. There was no deliberate action towards the ball and no sense that he was trying to make himself bigger to stop an opponent’s shot. The ball came from his own teammate at speed and unexpectedly.
That is exactly the type of situation the exemption is designed for. It is easy to understand Bayern’s frustration because football supporters have spent years watching increasingly strict handball interpretations.
It is also now standard practice to find something to rage about with regard to officiating. The outrage inside the Allianz Arena came because there had to be outrage.
Context also matters here. Had Neves deliberately moved his arm towards the ball the referee could still have awarded a penalty despite the teammate exemption. The law does allow for deliberate handball to override those protections. Yet nothing about the incident suggested intention.
Bayern manager Vincent Kompany was still unhappy afterwards. “Because it’s from his own teammate it’s not a penalty, but if you look at both phases, a little bit of common sense and it’s just ridiculous,” Kompany said. “Whatever needs to happen but it’s ridiculous. It doesn’t tell the whole game but it’s a one-goal game in the end.”
The frustration is understandable in the emotional context of a Champions League semi-final but Bayern could look to other aspects of the night for their defeat. Like the fact that their opponents were clearly the better team on the pitch.
Bayern may not like hearing it after a painful defeat, but the referee’s decision made sense.
