Another day in LaLiga, another refereeing controversy. Real Madrid hosted Unión Deportiva Almería for the 21st round of the domestic championship, and the meeting did not start well for the Merengues. The visitors managed to surprise right at the beginning of the match thanks to a good goal from Ramazani (1′). In the 43rd minute, the surprise would be consolidated with the provisional 0-2, scored by Edgar González. Real Madrid were losing to the bottom team, but, true to the greatness of their uniform, the players came out for the second half with the intention of turning the game around.
In the 57th minute, Bellingham would score for Real Madrid from the penalty spot, and in the 67th minute, the controversy arose. Vinicius Junior connected a cross with what seemed to be the lower part of his arm, putting the ball in the back of the net to make it 2-2. However, the referee disallowed the goal, and the VAR called him to review the play. After a short review, the goal was confirmed, and Vini Jr. celebrated the equalizer. In the dying moments of the match, Dani Carvajal (90+9′) scored the final 3-2, but all the attention was on that controversial goal by Vinicius that tied the game.
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What do the rules say about punishable handballs?
Marca, taking advantage of the controversy, reviewed what the IFAB regulations say about punishable handballs:
“The IFAB establishes that a player will commit an offense if they deliberately touch the ball with the hand or arm. For example, making a movement towards the ball with these parts of the body, touching the ball with the hand or arm when they are positioned unnaturally to make the body take up more space.”
👁 ¿Qué dice la norma sobre el remate de Vinicius? ¿Hombro o mano?
Pues dice esto, entonces… ¿Qué te pareció a ti? 👇 (ver antes de contestar) https://t.co/bRDdj6TB1g
— MARCA (@marca) January 21, 2024
Technically, any deliberate handball would be punishable. However, the shoulder, from the neck to the beginning of the forearm, would be the only part of the arm allowed to touch the ball.
The referee, in this case, considered that Vini did not move his arm unnaturally to occupy more space, and the contact was made with the shoulder.
What was the VAR’s verdict?
Once the match was over, the RFEF released the audio of referee Hernández Maeso and his assistants in the controversial play of the goal:
- VAR: I recommend an on-field review for you to assess the “no hand.” The possible “no hand.” Fran, I’ll show you, okay? It hits the right shoulder.
- Hernández Maeso: Perfect. Okay, send it to me. Show me the point of contact.
- VAR: There you have it, let’s put it in “super slow.” It hits the shoulder. Evaluate the possible foul yourself.
- Hernández Maeso: For me, no foul, it’s an attack.
- VAR: I agree with you.
- Hernández Maeso: Perfect. It hits with the shoulder, and it’s a valid goal, okay? I’m going to signal a goal, no foul.
🗣️ AUDIO REVISIÓN VAR
🗓️ Jornada 21 | Primera División
⚽️ @realmadrid 🆚 @U_D_Almeria | 67'#ArbitrajeRFEF | @CTARFEF pic.twitter.com/N0qzo3Y0O2
— RFEF (@rfef) January 21, 2024
Based on this, was Vinicius Junior’s goal legitimate?
There is some controversy about this issue. In Spain, some media claim that the referee’s decision was correct since, after briefly reviewing the play, the main referee and his VAR assistants agreed that the shot was with the non-punishable area of the arm.
However, on the other side of the spectrum, there are reports that in the images shown to the referee, there was not enough emphasis on trying to rule out the handball. The decision was made quickly without seeing various angles of the play.
“With the images shown to Hernández Maeso, it is very difficult to ensure 100% that Vinicius shot with the shoulder,” wrote Juan Ignacio García-Ochoa, a journalist for Marca.
🤔 ¿Por qué no se le muestran al árbitro el resto de ángulos que hemos podido ver en TV? https://t.co/tGc8fTusvu
— UD Almería (@U_D_Almeria) January 21, 2024
With the images shown during the television broadcast, there is doubt about the exact area with which the Brazilian star kicked the ball, generating a sea of controversy in Spain.
Almería, affected by this decision and others such as a possible penalty in their favor or a “legitimate goal” called off for Sergio Arribas, were very critical on their social media after the match, making their complaints about the referee’s decision public.
