The comment, “What will Tino Livramento do with his hands? Keep them behind? Burning with rage,” was made by former Newcastle United midfielder Jermaine Jenas. He made this statement to TN Sports after a controversial penalty against Newcastle in last night’s Champions League match. He expressed his disappointment as a football pundit, saying, “The players have given their all, it should have been a historic win. Newcastle has been robbed.”
The incident took place at De Prince’s Park during the ‘F’ Group match when, after 25 minutes, Alexander Isak’s goal put Newcastle ahead against the opposing welcoming team. However, in the 83rd minute of added time, Polish referee Szymon Marciniak blew the whistle against the English club for a penalty.
Inside Newcastle’s box, Tino Livramento stood firm against Usman Dembele’s pass from the right. At that moment, Livramento’s body was struck by the ball on his arm. Subsequently, PSG players appealed for a penalty. Referee Szymon Marciniak utilized the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology and, after reviewing the incident on the monitor, awarded the penalty. PSG equalized from the spot, courtesy of Kylian Mbappe.
Newcastle’s hopes for a late surge were significantly dimmed with the drawn result. Being behind by two points against PSG, who won their last match against AC Milan after losing to Newcastle, the Magpies will hope for Borussia Dortmund to defeat PSG in the final match. However, if PSG wins against Dortmund, Newcastle’s fate will be out of their hands, trailing with 5 points in 5 matches, behind PSG with 7 points in the group.
Coach Eddie Howe questioned the penalty decision at the end of the match. He told reporters, “In my opinion, it wasn’t the right decision. The ball hit his arm accidentally. But I don’t think his hand was in an unexpected position. I feel it was an incorrect and very disappointing decision. At that moment, there was very little time left in the match. But now, there’s nothing more we can do about it.”
Upon reviewing the video replay, it seems Livramento did not attempt to stop Dembele’s cross with his hand in any way. His hand was in a natural position when the ball struck his body. There was nothing he did to intentionally handle the ball, according to former Rangers striker and football pundit Ali McCoist, who said, “This is by no means a penalty. It’s embarrassing if they gave a penalty for that.”
The referee of this match, Szymon Marciniak, has been regarded as one of the best in the world in his profession. He officiated the latest World Cup final and also refereed the Champions League final last June. BBC explained the reasons behind his penalty decision regarding the rules of football. According to the media outlet, referees consider three aspects regarding handball incidents: 1. Did the player intentionally use their hand to block the ball? 2. How far or close was the player from the ball, and with what speed did the ball hit the hand? 3. Was the hand in an unnatural position? BBC reported that the referee understood Livramento didn’t use his hand intentionally or react swiftly, but his hand was in an unusual position when the incident occurred.
Disheartened by the penalty that led to their defeat in pursuit of victory, Howe expressed disappointment, saying, “It’s hard for the players. They’ve performed well in difficult circumstances, and then that (penalty) decision is out of our hands.”
