This is not going to appease Toni Kroos’ anger. In a UEFA report published by the Spanish press, the European body made a terrible admission regarding the quarter-final between Spain and Germany. Marc Cucurella’s handball on a shot by Jamal Musiala should have been punished with a penalty. Referee Anthony Taylor had not whistled anything, but VAR should have intervened.
” According to the latest UEFA guidelines, hand contact that stops a shot on goal should be punished more severely and in most cases a penalty should be awarded, unless the defender’s arm is very close to the body or above the body. In Cucurella’s case, the defender stops the shot on goal with his arm, which is not very close to the body, making his coverage wider. A penalty should have been awarded.”according to the UEFA commissioners.
Kroos: “Can I say that I am European champion?”
This referee’s report therefore does a lot to the retired Toni Kroos. “It took them three months to realize that there was a hand, something that almost everyone could see in a second. That reassures me a lot, the former midfielder joked, in comments reported by Marca. Can I say that I am now European champion because they officially confirmed it? I don’t think so.
Indeed, even if this penalty could have allowed Germany to lead 2-1 during extra time, this fact of play will not be enough to change the result of Euro 2024. Nothing says that Spain could not have equalized, and nothing says that Germany would have beaten France and England afterwards, as La Roja was able to do. But the German regrets will remain immense.
