UEFA on Cucurella: “Should have given a penalty”

UEFA has stated in an internal document that Germany should have been given a trading metre in the European Championship quarter-final against Spain.

The UEFA Referees Committee sent its top referees several controversial match scenes to improve the uniform interpretation of situations. These included: The moment when Spain’s Marc Cucurella stopped Jamal Musiala’s shot with his left forearm in extra time in Stuttgart.

UEFA: “Arm not very close to the body – should have given a penalty”

“According to the latest UEFA guidelines, handball contact that stops a shot on goal should be penalized more severely and a penalty should be awarded in most cases, unless the defender’s arm is very close to the body or on the body,” UEFA writes. The text is available to Sportschau, the Spanish newspaper Relovo and SID were the first to report on it.

Specifically regarding the scene in which Germany was eliminated, it says: “In this case, a defender stops the shot on goal with his arm, which is not very close to the body, making it larger, which is why a penalty kick must be given.” A yellow card is not provided for in this case.

No official statement from Referee Chief the UEFA

Roberto Rosetti, who heads the UEFA Referees Committee, showed video examples of handball in a press conference before the European Championship. In a similar situation, he said that there should be no penalty in such scenes. However, Rosetti and UEFA have not yet commented on Cucurella’s handball.

Cucurella had been hit on the left arm by a shot from Musiala in the European Championship quarter-finals. Anthony Taylor from England allowed the game to continue, Spain scored 2:1 in extra time, moved into the semi-finals and later became European champions. Cucurella was booed at the subsequent games in Germany.

The handball rule has been changed several times in recent years

The handball rule is a constant source of discontent – because it is often a matter of interpretation. The International Football Association Board (IFAB) fundamentally changed the rule in 2019 and tried to introduce clear categories. But these often cause even more discontent because completely unintentional offenses are sometimes punished.

The rule was therefore changed again in 2021. Now the focus should again be on the intention.

Nagelsmann calls for discussion about rule

After the quarter-finals, national coach Julian Nagelsmann decided to have a new discussion about the handball rule.I don’t want to moan, but rather use the stage to advocate for the rule to be adapted to suit football.“

“It would be nice if we could evaluate what happens to the ball“, Nagelsmann continued. “If Jamal Musiala shoots the ball into the Stuttgart city centre and Cucurella touches it, I would never want a penalty, but the ball comes towards the goal and he clearly stops it with his hand. There has to be a different basis for assessment.”“