The controversy does not stop over the refereeing cases in football matches, the latest of which was the handball that awarded a penalty to Liverpool and sent Chelsea defender Reece James off, followed by a tsunami of objections based on rumors unrelated to the handball law.
The English referee Anthony Taylor awarded a penalty kick to the Reds, and James was expelled - after reviewing the mouse technique - in application of Article 12 of the Football Law (Faults and Misconduct), which says that the player must be expelled and shown the red card if he prevents a real opportunity to score a goal in his own goal.
RED CARD FOR REECE JAMES, PENALTY FOR LIVERPOOL!
🔴 pic.twitter.com/8HPngr29xs
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) August 28, 2021
Indeed, there was a clear intentionality in playing the ball by hand, as James tried to prevent the ball from entering the goal with his thigh, and when he failed, he moved his arm towards the ball and actually played it to save the achieved goal.
Although this case is a clear example of deliberately playing the ball by hand and preventing the ball from entering the goal, the objections were poured out from all sides and from the fans, who were led by inaccurate statements from coaches and stars, based on rumors, not facts of the law of the game.
One of the strangest wrong analyzes of the situation was what Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel said after the match, “The referee quickly saw the shot and did not return to the origin of the game, and made his decision on the basis of the first shot he saw on the screen. The technical staff and I saw the situation on the tablet, and it turned out that the ball hit the player’s hand After it rebounded from his hip to his hand spontaneously, the distance was close, and the player's arm was not in an abnormal position."
Definitely not deserved red, @reecejames_24
And the reff only saw the VAR, a frozen capture one for two second, then gave red ffs!!!
😭 pic.twitter.com/zi2m6d009t
— Adhykusuma🥶 (@ariefadhykusuma) August 28, 2021
Indeed, "the ball bounced off the player's body", but it did not hit his hand, but rather his arm that deliberately went to the ball, not "spontaneously" to prevent it from entering the goal, as the video shows, and any decision other than the penalty kick and expulsion would have resulted in a penalty on the referee for violating the football law.
Even Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp criticized James's expulsion - despite acknowledging the existence of a handball violation - and said, "I would never prefer a double penalty, of course it was a harsh punishment and might spoil the match. It changed everything .. I wanted to complete the match with 11 players against 11 players to see who It would be the best, but that's how it went."
The expelled player himself refused the decision to expel him via a tweet on Twitter, as a result of his lack of knowledge of Article 12 of the Football Law, and this is logical as long as his coach himself does not know how to interpret the law.
Very frustrating to get sent off.
But what a shift from the lads in the second half.
Thanks for all your support.
KTBFFH pic.twitter.com/xoWqQVvYv5
— Reece James (@reecejames_24) August 28, 2021
Some analysts joined the queue objecting to the correct decision, including the former English star Gary Lineker, who asked a question not only of the expulsion, but of the presence of a handball violation in the first place, saying, "The question that arises: Is it a penalty kick in the beginning? How did the referee decide to expel the player?" ".
But @mr_wemz @efo_phil how on earth is this not a penalty.
Take off the Chelsea lens before watching please ✌️
Dude pushed the ball out of the net with his hand.🤣 #LIVCHE #AnthonyTaylor #ReeceJames pic.twitter.com/X2GhuZihZ4
— Hon Nii 🇬🇭 (@theHonNii) August 28, 2021
In light of not allowing referees to comment on arbitral decisions and the lack of stardom of referees such as coaches and analysts, public opinion formed these statements based on rumors and false opinions, and convinced the fans that the correct decision was a grave mistake!
Former international referee