Controversy The minute of chaos decided by the League: "You can't whistle that!"
Chronicle The VAR becomes the title actor and stops Real Madrid
When the controversial Real Madrid-Sevilla ended,
Zinedine Zidane
calmly and politely came to demand explanations from the referee of the duel,
Juan Martínez Munuera
. The French coach (like Real Madrid in general) had not finished with the decision to annul the clamorous penalty from
Bono
to
Benzema
to point out a previous one by
Militao's
hand
, an action that determined the outcome of the clash and who knows if that of the league championship. Was the referee correct?
The key is in the own gestural explanation that Martínez Munuera offers to Zidane while they dialogue. The Valencian referee, by way of example, raises his hand to his shoulder and seems to explain that this is the reason for the sanction. And it is. The International Football Association Board, the world body in charge of drafting and annually reviewing the rules of the game, clearly includes the assumption of the penalty in its rules for the 2020/21 season: "the hand or arm is placed above the height of the shoulder or beyond this ".
One of the arguments that are used in the last hours as an excuse is the possibility that the ball rubs before on Militao's own shoulder.
The repetitions do not make it clear if this happens, but a priori it is irrelevant, since the only exception that is collected to the phrase above in quotation marks is the following: "unless the ball is played first voluntarily with another part of the body, and then touch this on the hand or arm. "
In other words, it would be necessary to conclude that the presumed hit with the (legal) shoulder is voluntary and that the back hand is a consequence of that previous touch to conclude that Militao's hand is not a penalty.
Difficult to hold, although not impossible, of course.
Hand over shoulder
In fact, in its last informative appearance, the Technical Committee of Referees explicitly referred to this type of play, giving as an example one in which
Óscar Duarte
(Levante) touched the ball with his hand over his shoulder after the ball hit him on his head. In that same appearance, they recognized that it is a type of play that is causing problems for the referees. In the eight actions that had taken place so far (March 2) in the League, only in one did the referee awarded a penalty on his own initiative. In another five it was corrected by the VAR and the remaining two were not sanctioned by mistake by the referee or by the VAR.
Another argument, used by Zidane himself on the field in the post-match interview with Movistar +, is an alleged comparative offense.
The French coach cited a hand from
Joan Jordán
in the Sevilla area at the beginning of the second half that was not punished.
An action in which the Spanish midfielder has his arm bent and slightly detached from the body, where the ball hits without any previous rebound, neither his own nor someone else's.
The hand of Joan Jordán.
Here we enter the complex terrain of interpretation. The rule in this regard says that it is not considered a fault "if the hand or arm are close to the body and are not in an unnatural position with which more space can be taken up." Just as the position of a hand above the shoulder is an objective matter, the concepts "close to the body" and "occupying more space" are diffuse and require arbitration interpretation.
The same thing happens with
Felipe's
hand
in the last Madrid derby.
The Atlético defender had his arm separated from his body (below the shoulder) when the ball hit him.
Separate enough?
The referee of that match was warned by the VAR and went to the monitor to review the action.
After a long time reviewing the action, he determined that the hand of the Brazilian central defender was not punishable.
Again, the interpretive criterion comes into play.
Confusion with the VAR
Less doubts seems to offer another of the recent complaints of Real Madrid, a hand from
Miranda
in the 0-0 of two weeks ago against Betis in Valdebebas.
Here are three possibilities: that the referee understood that the Betis player received a previous foul from Militao (it does not seem like it), that at the moment of impact with the ball the hand was no longer over the shoulder (more than debatable) or that , simply, both the referee and the VAR were wrong when making the decision (the most likely option).
Miranda's hand.
And in all these plays, including that of Militao against Sevilla, an even more diffuse concept comes into play, that the VAR only enters to correct an action when "a clear and manifest error" occurs.
Are all exposed?
Just any of them?
It is difficult to offer a clear and indisputable answer.
Actions, in any case, that contribute to the confusion that exists in Primera's dressing rooms (also in journalistic newsrooms and among fans in general) about the hands.
This confusion is compounded by the fact that the regulatory criteria for sanctioning them are changed each year, so that a hand like Militao's may not be sanctioned next season.
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Seville
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