Referee Felix Zwayer Stands as Visible Emblem of Arsenal
football | Champions League | dispute | referee
Amidst the Champions League semi-final chaos, German referee Felix Zwayer has found himself in hot water after awarding a contentious penalty to Paris Saint-Germain. Declan Rice expresses his disapproval of the call, stating, "That was a joke of a penalty!"
The incident unfolded in the second half, after a VAR review, as Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly was deemed to have handleballed Achraf Hakimi's shot inside the box (66'). Goalkeeper David Raya managed to keep his team in the game by saving Vitinha's penalty when the opportunity presented itself.
England's TV expert and former national player Rio Ferdinand voiced his dissatisfaction, describing the decision as "horrible," while former Arsenal defender Martin Keown called it "ridiculous."
Experts in the field have also questioned the penalty decision. Former FIFA referee, ex-head of the English referees' organization PGMOL Keith Hackett, shared his thoughts, stating, "It's an exaggerated interpretation of the handball rule, and I can't fathom how the VAR and the referee arrived at this conclusion. Was it intentional? I doubt it."
Despite the widespread criticism, the penalty call didn't single-handedly decide the fate of the game. Arsenal had plenty of opportunities to capitalize, but ultimately fell short in converting them. Despite the loss, coach Mikel Arteta maintained that Arsenal deserved more in the two games and was, overall, the better team.
In the face of public scrutiny and expert critique, the validity of the penalty call lingers as a point of debate.
Sources: ntv.de, tsi/dpa
For further insights, while the penalty call has been widely criticized, it has been described as "[questionable] and not fully justified based on public and expert opinion, despite the referee's decision to award it." [2] Additionally, there has been no official confirmation or affirmation from UEFA or the refereeing body concerning the decision's validity. [2]
In response to the questionable penalty call by referee Felix Zwayer, Declan Rice and other experts have expressed their disapproval, considering it a "joke" and "horrible." The incident, which took place after a VAR review, involved Myles Lewis-Skelly of Arsenal being penalized for handballing Achraf Hakimi's shot. However, skepticism persists among former referees like Keith Hackett, who finds the interpretation of the handball rule in this instance unreasonable. Despite the widespread criticism, the penalty call did not determine the outcome of the game entirely, with Arsenal failing to capitalize on their opportunities. The controversy surrounding the penalty decision continues to linger as a point of debate.
