The first leg of the quarter-final match between Arsenal and Bayern Munich was filled with a lot of action and controversy from the start until the end of the game.
The main controversy of the match occurred when David Raya played a short goal kick to Gabriel Magalhaes, who then picked up the ball and retook the kick himself. Some suggest that the Brazilian was seemingly unaware that referee Glenn Nyberg had already blown his whistle for the restart. Bayern players protested, but no penalty was awarded.
What does the law state?
Every football match is governed by the laws of the game, which the referee is aware of beforehand. One particular law in the referee’s book is called Law 18, otherwise known as “Common Sense.” The law states that it is necessary for application of common sense in interpreting and applying the Laws to ensure that a referee’s decisions don’t go against the spirit of the game.
According to the referee of the match, he believed that Gabriel made an honest mistake and that is why he did not award the penalty to Bayern.
What did Thomas Tuchel say?
The German coach expressed his frustration with the referee’s decision not to award the penalty. He said, “I think the referee did not dare to give a deserved penalty today in a bit of a crazy and awkward situation. He admitted on the pitch that he saw the situation and that for a quarter-final, the incident was not enough for him to give a penalty, for a kid’s mistake. He admitted he saw the mistake the player made. It was a goal kick, the goalkeeper passed to a central defender, and he touched the ball with his hand because he thought it was not in play, but it was in play, and the referee admitted it was handball. Very frustrating.”
Both teams will meet again on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, at the Allianz Arena for the second leg, with the first leg ending in a 2-2 draw.
