UEFA admits terrible mistake that cost Germany Euro 2024

UEFA’s Referees Committee has reportedly admitted Germany should have been awarded a penalty during their Euro 2024 quarter-final against eventual winners, Spain.

The penalty should have been awarded after a Jamal Musiala strike hit Marc Cucurella’s hand. The shot was seemingly on target and could have proved difficult to save.

English referee Anthony Taylor immediately waved away any claims of a penalty and countryman Stuart Atwell backed his call in his role as the VAR.

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Germany players swarmed Taylor after the incident, pleading for a penalty, but there was none coming. But now, UEFA has admitted Taylor and Atwell both made mistakes in not awarding Germany a spot-kick.

According to Spanish publication Relevo, the UEFA Referees Committee told officials, “'Following the latest UEFA guidelines, hand-to-ball contact that stops a shot on goal should be punished more strictly,” adding, “in most cases, a penalty kick should be awarded”.

The Referees Committee did stipulate that a penalty may not be awarded if, “unless the defender's arm is very close to the body or on the body,” which is a key detail for Cucurella and Germany.

UEFA’s statement on the incident continued, “In this case, the defender [Cucurella] stops the shot on goal with his arm, which is not very close to the body, making itself bigger, so a penalty kick should have been awarded.”

Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann said, “There is a rule and I hope there is no wrong decision,” after the match, per The Daily Mail, so UEFA admitting to their mistake will be of little help to the former Bayern Munich manager.

The decision not to award a penalty proved costly for Germany, with Spain’s Mikel Merino scoring a late winner in what was a devastating blow for the host nation, who were hoping to take home another major trophy.

For Marc Cucurella and Spain, the decision, or lack thereof, opened the door to win yet another Euro crown, beating England 2-1 in a dramatic final, which the Spaniards mostly dominated.

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