There was outrage during the first half of the Champions League final after Arsenal‘s Bukayo Saka went unpunished for what appeared to be a handball inside his own box. The Gunners took an early 1-0 lead through Kai Havertz’s brilliant sixth-minute finish at the Puskas Arena in Budapest. But PSG were denied a penalty to draw level just 10 minutes later after a bouncing ball from a corner seemed to hit Saka’s arm.
As he tried to clear the ball, the England winger missed his kick. The ball then hit the top of Saka’s chest before deflecting on to his right arm. TNT Sports’ co-commentator Ally McCoist reacted: “Yeah it hits his right arm, probably hits his left too.” German referee Daniel Siebert waved away PSG’s claims for a penalty – although some on social media claimed that the officials missed what they feel was a ‘blatant’ penalty for the French giants.
@CFC_Dubois raged: “That’s a blatant handball from Saka. They get away with EVERYTHING.” While @AbsoluteBruno said: “How tf isn’t this a penalty?? Obvious handball from Saka.” And @TheBallZoneX similarly posted: “This is the clearest penalty ever. Double handball.”
@Tunnykvng added: “This is clearly a handball from Saka. How is it not a penalty?” While @idoxvi said: “Saka is lucky the rules are stupid.” And @Bk8iP3 wrote: “How did PSG not get a pen from Saka loooll.”
It appears that because the ball hit Saka’s chest first, the contact was deemed incidental, rather than worthy of punishment. But that was not an opinion shared by viewers.
TNT’s half-time punditry panel consisted of former Arsenal players Jack Wilshere and Martin Keown, who both felt Saka’s alleged handball was not worthy of a penalty.
Keown said: “No. I think the referee has got a fantastic view of this. You look at it at full speed there. I mean we have seen penalties given this season in the Champions League particularly, maybe for less than that.”
Wilshere butted in to say: “You don’t want to see them given. Not a penalty for me.” And Keown then added: “I don’t think so. Not in the spirit. He just throws an arm at it.”
Co-commentator McCoist then chimed in: “No, no, not for me. I think it’s accidental. I don’t think there’s any advantage at all. I don’t think PSG would have got any advantage. I don’t think we want to see penalties for that, just my opinion.”
Before Steven Gerrard, sat alongside him, said: “Even from a biased Liverpudlian I don’t think that’s a pen. I don’t want to see pens given for that.”
There was also controversy around the build-up to Havertz’s goal. The ball struck Leandro Trossard’s hand before falling to the German, who went on to score.
But it was judged that because Marquinhos thundered the ball into Trossard’s chest from point-blank range, that it was not a handball offence.