Jarell Quansah was cruelly denied his first senior goal when his late equalizer against Toulouse was incorrectly disallowed in the Europa League.
Football is a highly subjective game, and officials rely on rules and guidelines set by the tournament organizers to referee the competition.
According to UEFA’s guidelines, Quansah’s goal shouldn’t have been disallowed for an Alexis Mac Allister handball.
In April, UEFA recommended that no handball offence should be called on a player if the ball is deflected from his own body, especially when the ball does not go towards the goal.
This rule would apply to Mac Allister as the ball bounced off his chest. ESPN editor and VAR ‘expert’ Dale Johnson added additional mitigating factors as to why this was the wrong call.
So many reasons why Mac Allister handball is a terrible VAR decision.
? Arm close to body
? Being withdrawn not moved to ball
? High on arm
? Not deliberate
? Way back in playBut this is UEFA, with goals disallowed for any handball in attack phase.pic.twitter.com/md6lnLp1hs
— Dale Johnson (@DaleJohnsonESPN) November 9, 2023
It is also frustrating how far back the handball was supposedly committed before the goal was scored.
While it isn’t strictly against the law to go back this far in UEFA competition, it seems bizarre that Toulouse can win the ball back then lose it again between the offense and the goal.
In the Premier League, the VAR will only check the attacking possession phase that led to the penalty or goal, according to the league’s website reads.
So, regardless of whether Mac Allister committed a handball offense, it shouldn’t have been checked anyway.
The officials on duty included referee Georgi Kabakov and lead VAR Dragomir Draganov.
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Michael Johnson is your soccer guru, providing extensive coverage of soccer. With a global perspective, he delivers match reports, player interviews, and insights into the beautiful game, ensuring readers stay connected to the world of soccer.