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Scene in the penalty area in the 26th minute of the European Championship final: England's Leah Williamson touches the ball with his arm
Photo:
Michael Regan/Getty Images
56 years after the Wembley goal, the most famous non-goal in history, there is again trouble over a referee's decision.
Again in a final at Wembley, again between England and Germany.
And again the Germans see themselves as the disadvantaged.
At 1: 2 (1: 1, 0: 0) after extra time in the European Championship final, England defender Leah Williamson played the ball in the penalty area clearly with her arm in the 26th minute.
The scene after a corner was not clearly recognizable in the normal course of play, but according to the TV pictures, many experts believe that the video assistant should have intervened.
National coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg said after the game: "It shouldn't happen at this level." She spoke of a "clear handball" by Williamson in the penalty area.
It was incomprehensible to Voss-Tecklenburg that the VAR did not intervene.
'Why is this happening?
Why isn't the referee looking at this?
That's the job."
Germany's defender Marina Hegering, who was standing right next to it and almost scored the German lead in the scene, told n-tv after the game that she didn't even notice the handball during the final.
When she saw the pictures, she said it was "annoying" but "we can't change it now, it's the way it is".
Criticism of the lack of VAR intervention
Joti Chatzialexiou, sporting director of national teams in the DFB, described the decision as "incomprehensible, that makes it even more bitter".
With the referees and especially the video assistants, there is a general need for optimization.
That was now the third or fourth time in the tournament, regardless of German participation, that there was no intervention as we know it.
That's very disappointing.
When it's taken away from you like that, it hurts."
Defender Sara Doorsun also had doubts about the usefulness of the video assistant after the decision.
»Now we have the discussion again, what is the VAR for.
Maybe the game would have been different.
Of course it can change a game completely if we take a 1-0 lead," she told the "Bild".
The many critics of the video assistant should once again see themselves confirmed after this scene, the hand game caused a stir on social networks.
The final was officiated by the Ukrainian referee Kateryna Monzul.
The European football union Uefa announced this two days before the final and thus also sent a political signal: Monzul fled to Italy a few weeks after the outbreak of war in her home country.
The 41-year-old was the first woman to officiate games in the top men's league in Ukraine.
Her final assistant, Maryna Striletska, also came from Ukraine.
It is already the fourth women's European Championship for Monzul, at the tournament in England she officiated three games before the final.
The Italian Paolo Valeri and Pol van Boekel from the Netherlands acted as video assistants.
None of the three have commented on the controversial scene so far.
kjo/dpa
