Bayern Munich players, coaching staff, and spectators at the Allianz Arena were stunned when they were refused a penalty for a handball by João Neves in their Champions League semi-final second leg loss to Paris St. Germain.
The Germans, trailing 1-0 on the night and 6-4 on aggregate, surrounded referee Joao Pedro Silva Pinheiro at the half-hour mark when Vitinha rifled a clearance against his own teammate Neves’ arm inside the area.
However, Pinheiro brushed off the Bayern protestations, and the video assistant referee (VAR) did not intervene, leaving social media asking why a spot kick was not given.
According to BBC Sport’s football issues correspondent Dale Johnson, it was due to a little-known exception in the handball law.
According to the laws of the game, it is not a handball if “hit on the hand/arm by the ball that has been played by a teammate (unless the ball goes directly into the opponents’ goal or the player scores immediately afterwards, in which case a direct free kick is awarded to the other team).”
“It covers when the ball is unexpectedly hit at you by a teammate, even if your arm is away from your body—the law says you should not give away a penalty,” said Johnson.
“When Vitinha blasts the ball clear, could Joao Neves think the ball would be hit straight at him?
“Of course, this could be overridden by deliberate handball, but in the context of this situation, a penalty would not be expected to be awarded.”
Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany, who saw his side concede from a penalty after a controversial handball decision in the first leg, said, “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. 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.”
