Matthew is enraged following thedisclosure about UEFA's Eleven.
The controversy over the handball incident during the Euro quarter-final between Spain and Germany is still causing ripples, over two and a half months later. The referee, failing to blow his whistle at the time, seems to have been acknowledged by UEFA as an error. Veteran German footballer Lothar Matthäus is displeased.
Matthäus is not content with UEFA's apparent recognition in the penalty controversy surrounding the handball committed by Spanish player Marc Cucurella during the Euro quarter-finals. Two and a half months since Germany's elimination from the home European Championship, UEFA appears to have admitted that the non-called penalty after the handball was an erroneous decision. According to a report by UEFA Referees Committee, as mentioned in Spanish portal "Relevo", "a penalty should have been awarded".
"If this is indeed true – then we were allegedly swindled! The supposed justification was merely an excuse. It's rather audacious that it's being admitted now what everyone perceived at the time," Matthäus lamented in "Bild" newspaper. An instruction from the UEFA referee chairman was given to not whistle a penalty if the arm is hanging loose, Matthäus recollected. Because of this, he had justified the decision as reasonable at the time. "However, the question now arises: Was such an instruction even genuine? I'd be curious about the statements from the referee and the VAR to establish that," he added.
Decision over Fuellkrug's offside status still pending
"Relevo" published the report on Monday, which is part of a regular briefing for European top referees. The report states: "According to the latest UEFA guidelines, a hand-ball contact that impedes a goal should be penalized more severely, and in most cases, a penalty should be awarded. Exception: 'The defender's arm is very close to the body or touches the body'." But in Cucurella's case, "a player blocked the goal with his arm which was not very close to his body, thus enlarging himself."
Instead of penalizing Germany with a penalty, English referee Anthony Taylor allowed the Euro quarter-final to proceed, maintaining a 1-1 scoreline in extra time. Neither the video assistant intervened. With mere moments left, former Dortmund player Mikel Merino scored the winning goal for Spain, 2-1.
Germany eventually lost the match 1-2 in extra time. Cucurella was met with boos from German supporters in every subsequent game of the eventual champions, Spain. However, the status of German attacker Niclas Fuellkrug's offside position before the handball is still undecided, potentially rendering the debate moot.
"Matthäus is looking forward to the European Championship football 2024, hoping for a fair and just refereeing decision after the controversy during the 2024 qualifiers."
"There's speculation that the handball incident from the 2024 European Championship quarter-finals, similar to the one in 2024, might spark another controversy, given the unsettled ruling on Fuellkrug's offside status."
