UEFA admits refereeing error in Spain-Germany quarter-final

Last July, Spain qualified for the semi-finals of Euro 2024 by winning 2-1 after extra time against Germany in Stuttgart. Saved by Mikel Merino, who scored the winning goal in the last minute, La Roja nevertheless came very close to conceding a penalty during this clash. A few minutes earlier, Jamal Musiala saw his shot blocked by Marc Cucurella’s hand. Anthony Taylor, the on-field referee, and Stuart Atwell, the VAR referee, however decided to let the game continue while the two teams were still back to back.

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In a report prepared by the UEFA Referees Committee, the body nevertheless acknowledged that this action had been poorly refereed. “In accordance with the latest UEFA guidelines, hand contact with the ball that stops a shot on goal should be punished more severely and in most cases a penalty should be awarded, unless the defender’s arm is very close to the body or on the body. In this case, the defender stops the shot on goal with his arm, which is not very close to the body, which is extended, so a penalty should have been awarded.”the report states. Enough to give rise to some regrets on the German side…