Paris Saint-Germain snatched a draw from the wire against Newcastle thanks to a disputed penalty awarded in added time.
The draw between Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle (1-1), Tuesday in the Champions League, was marked by a controversial penalty awarded to the Parisians in added time. This decision caused an outcry in England, where the media and Magpies supporters denounced a theft.
The penalty was awarded after a handball from Tino Livramento on a cross from Ousmane Dembélé. The main referee, Szymon Marciniak, was called to view the situation on VAR. After viewing the images, he decided to whistle for the penalty. However, according to former international referee Mark Clattenburg, Livramento’s hand did not warrant punishment.
“Newcastle has every right to feel robbed,” he blurted out in the Daily Mail, adding: “Earlier in the match, we saw the ball hit Lewis Miley in the thigh then bounce off an arm slightly away from his body. Kwiatkowski (the referee in charge of VAR) decided not to send Marciniak in front of his monitor for an examination. »
“This penalty goes against all UEFA directives”
Clattenburg also pointed out that VAR referee Tomasz Kwiatkowski failed to show Marciniak an angle that could have led him to change his mind.
“But at the end of stoppage time we saw an almost identical incident, he added. The ball bounces off Tino Livramento’s chest and onto his elbow and this time Kwiatkowski advises a review by Marciniak. In front of his monitor, Marciniak is convinced that Livramento’s arm is stretched due to the specific angle shown to him by the VAR. However, the angle behind the goal, which we all saw on TV but the VAR did not show Marciniak, clearly proves that this was not the case. »
And to add: “Livramento did not enlarge his body, did he declare. His arm was in a natural position for the movement he was making. He didn’t have time to react to the deviation. This penalty goes against all UEFA guidelines and Newcastle have paid the price. »
The penalty allowed PSG to equalize at 1-1 and save the match. The English, who led 1-0 until the 97th minute, believe they have been victims of prejudice.
