30 November 2023 , 07:30
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UEFA found themselves under even more scrutiny on Wednesday, as the Champions League handball drama escalated.
In the 98th minute of their crucial clash with PSG on Tuesday, Newcastle were left heartbroken after right-back Tino Livramento was penalised for the ball ricocheting off his thigh and onto his hand. Fans and pundits were left stunned when referee Szymon Marciniak awarded a penalty, having watched multiple replays on the pitch-side monitor. That allowed PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe to make it 1-1 in the dying embers and significantly dent Newcastle's qualification hopes.
Less than 24 hours later, though, Arsenal escaped punishment for almost the exact same situation amid claims that UEFA have held urgent talks over changing their rules on handball. The Daily Mail report that European football chiefs are discussing whether to make their rules their stringent and more in line with what we see in the Premier League, where statistics show that penalties are given far less frequently.
Those potential changes came into focus when Arsenal midfielder Kai Havertz saw the ball cannon off his body and onto his outstretched arm. All eyes were on VAR, who deemed that French side Lens shouldn't have been awarded a penalty and play continued.
The decision sparked fury on social media, especially after Manchester United were also fortunate to avoid conceding a spot kick in their 3-3 draw with Galatasaray. "UEFA is a total joke man," one user wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. "So what makes Livramento's handball a penalty against Newcastle yesterday and Kai Havertz not a penalty for Lens tonight?"
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Another followed-up by saying: "Imagine watching football for the first time and your first two games being Newcastle vs PSG and Arsenal vs Lens, seeing Livramento give away a penalty and Havertz not give away a penalty for the same thing. You'd basically assume that refs flip a coin to determine hand balls."
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Kai Havertz escaped punishment for Arsenal (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
But Newcastle were on the end of a controversial decisionAs for the decision which went against Newcastle, it's said UEFA believe that video assistant referee Tomasz Kwiatkowski made an error in his decision to recommend an on-field review for Polish colleague Marciniak. Kwiatkowski was subsequently stood down from VAR duties ahead of Wednesday night's Champions League tie between Real Sociedad and Red Bull Salzburg.
There've been nearly four times as many penalties awarded per game in the Champions League compared to the Premier League since the start of last season. UEFA's Referees Committee is now reportedly considering changing their guidance to officials from next season onwards in the hope of avoiding less scrutiny.