Former football legends Thierry Henry and Jamie Carragher have harshly criticized the controversial refereeing decision in the Champions League semi-final replay between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain (1-1). PSG advanced to the final due to their first-leg victory of 5-4, but numerous critiques emerged regarding the officiating, particularly a missed penalty call against PSG in the match.
Henry: Frustration with Inconsistency
Thierry Henry expressed his frustration with the inconsistency in refereeing standards. "I've been there on the field. I know the feeling when a decision goes against you at such a critical moment. This call was wrong," Henry said. "At this stage of the competition and with the importance of the match, the refereeing must be of a higher standard. The referee must be better. What are the criteria? Tell me."
He further emphasized that the Bayern players' efforts were undermined. "Players train every day, sacrifice everything for matches like this, and then one person's decision can alter the entire course of the game. I'm not here to dramatize, but to be honest. This is simply not the standard we expect at this level. Such mistakes cannot happen."
Henry noted that even playing at home did not help Bayern. "Referees deserve respect, but sometimes you just can't win. Bayern is playing at home, yet it seems the calls are against them."
Carragher: This is Not a Village League
Jamie Carragher was equally critical. "I am furious watching this. Joao Neves' arm was out like a traffic warden, a clear handball and a penalty for Bayern, but the referee just waved it off! Why didn't he call it?" Carragher said. "We saw the same nonsense last night with Arsenal versus Atletico, shocking decisions that cost big teams at their worst moments."
Carragher concluded, "These moments decide a club's fate. One refereeing mistake and an entire season, a dream of winning the Champions League, goes down the drain. At this level, in a Champions League semi-final, it's absurd. This is not a village league; this is the biggest stage of club football. Unbelievable."
Decision in Accordance with Rules
While it initially seemed that Bayern was wronged, referee João Pinheiro made the correct call based on a lesser-known rule. The incident occurred in the 31st minute, with PSG leading 1-0. After Josip Stanišić's shot, goalkeeper Safonov deflected the ball, and Vitinha then inadvertently hit the ball into the hand of teammate Joao Neves in an attempt to clear it. Despite Bayern players' insistence, Pinheiro did not change his decision and there was no VAR intervention.
Although the ball clearly hit Neves' hand, according to the International Football Association Board (IFAB) rules, it is not considered a foul if the ball hits a player's hand after being deflected by a teammate. The exception to this rule is only applied if the ball ends up in the goal or the player scores immediately, which did not happen in this case. Therefore, despite the controversy, the referee's decision was correct.
