Referee Review
Why was this decision made?
See the key points from a referee’s perspective
Show explanation
Referee Review
Why was this decision made?
See the key points from a referee’s perspective
Show explanationHow the footage and Laws apply
The question is whether the ball striking the attacker's arm during the move that led to the goal was a handball offence. The footage shows the ball hitting Atlético's No. 14 on the right arm after it bounced up in the penalty area. Not every touch on the hand or arm is an offence. The position of the arm in relation to the player's movement, and whether it made the body unnaturally bigger, matter. Here the right arm was raised away from the body, so the referee's handball decision appears justified. Although some time passed before the goal, the incident was reviewed as part of the attacking phase of play that led to the goal, and play was brought back to the offence. (A more technical note follows.) The footage also shows the ball striking a Manchester United player's arm immediately after Atlético's No. 14. Had the order of the contacts been reversed, the decision would have been more complicated. The Atlético contact would still need to be checked for a handball offence; if it was an offence, the goal would be disallowed. The United contact would also need to be reviewed. If that too was judged a handball offence, the outcome could have been a disallowed goal and a penalty kick. The order of the contacts was therefore significant.
Relevant Laws
Law 12 – Fouls and Misconduct (Handling the ball) / Video Assistant Referee (VAR) protocol
Official references
Check the wording of the Laws
The links above lead to official IFAB and JFA resources. The application of the Laws to this incident is the author’s analysis and is not an official view of IFAB, JFA or the competition organiser.
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