European Football Championship - Hand? Or not? An explanation of the German excitement scene
## Contents
- The comparable example
- The uncertainties
- What the German national team coach says
- What the experts say
English referee Anthony Taylor followed the handball guidelines of the UEFA during the major controversy at the German EM game regarding a handball by Marc Cucurella from Jamal Musiala's shot in the penalty area.
The comparable example
During a press conference before the EM, UEFA referee chief Roberto Rosetti showed a similar scene. RB Leipzig's Castello Lukeba had received the ball in a similar way in the Champions League game against Manchester City in October 2023: from a short distance, with an arm hanging down, which also gave way during ball contact. "That's never an penalty", Rosetti said about the scene. The player was trying to avoid contact. The arm was close to the body in a natural position.
The uncertainties
Taylor did not comment on the case on Friday evening, and the UEFA had not been contacted about it. It was also unclear on Saturday whether Niclas Füllkrug was offside during the preceding pass for Musiala. In that case, it would not have mattered whether Cucurella's handball was punishable or not.
What the German national team coach says
Julian Nagelsmann did not want to use the controversial decision as the reason for Germany's elimination from the EM. However, the scene still bothered him. "If Jamal's shot goes into the goal, there's a penalty, if it goes to the tribune and we can see that, then there's no penalty. He goes into the goal, probably even into the goal, and there's no penalty – I can't understand that", Nagelsmann said, also expressing his support for new technology: "There are 50 robots that bring us coffee, then there's also AI that calculates where the cross comes down."
What the experts say
Bundesliga referee Patrick Ittrich tried to calm down the debate on the streaming service MagentaTV. "One must analyze it technically from the referee's point of view: What does the player do during the shot? The player pulls his hand out of the shooting lane during the shot." Ittrich spoke of a "handball dilemma". Former national player Michael Ballack could not understand it: "That's a clear wrong decision." He did not know whether Taylor and his team had decided against a penalty "out of fear or respect".
See above in the video: Handball or not? In any case: Out for Germany – all highlights in the video
- The German national team coach, Julian Nagelsmann, expressed his frustration with the penalty decision during the European Football Championship game, stating, "I can't understand that" as Jamal Musiala's shot should have resulted in a penalty kick if it had gone into the goal.
- During a press conference prior to the EM, UEFA referee chief Roberto Rosetti used a comparable example from RB Leipzig's Castello Lukeba during their Champions League game against Manchester City in October 2023 to argue that the handball incident in question was not a penalty.
- The expert analysis of Bundesliga referee Patrick Ittrich on MagentaTV suggested that English referee Anthony Taylor made the correct call based on the handball guidelines of UEFA, as the player, Marc Cucurella, pulled his hand out of the shooting lane during the shot.
- Stuttgart-based German football club's coach, Pellegrino Matarazzo, expressed his disappointment after his team's defeat in the European Football Championship, particularly in light of the penalty decision that ultimately affected the outcome of the game.
- Top news and headlines have been dominated by the controversial penalty decision in the European Football Championship, with analysts and fans alike debating the merits of the handball call made by English referee Anthony Taylor.
- In the realm of technology advancements, Julian Nagelsmann, the German national team coach, advocated for using AI to support referee decisions and improve accuracy, likening the potential benefits to the use of robots in other industries.
