UEFA admits fault for Cucurella’s hand. So can I call myself champion? kroos asks

Approximately three months after EURA 2024 was played, UEFA has for the first time commented on the controversial hand in extra time of the quarter-final duel between Germany and Spain. The referees’ commission confirms that the main referee of the match, Anthony Taylor, should have given a penalty for the hand. Following this statement, a statement from one of the players involved in the match has also emerged. Specifically, it was Toni Kroos, who expressed himself in a rather angry manner.

• UEFA admitted that Cucurella’s hand was out of bounds and should have been whistled
• Why didn’t referee Taylor give the penalty?
• Toni Kroos also spoke out

The EURA 2024 quarter-final match between home side Germany and favoured Spain was really evenly contested. Talented players like Lamine Yamal and Florian Wirtz shone. Unfortunately, the referee didn’t shine.

In the 51st minute, the now Catalan Barcelona player Dani Olmo scored after a great assist from the then 16-year-old Lamine Yamal. At the very end of the match, megatalent Florian Wirtz equalised to force extra time for the home side.

It was decided in the last minute by Mikel Merino and the Spaniards could celebrate their progress to the semi-finals. With a beautiful header with an incredible splitting shot, he sent Spain into the semi-finals and became a great national hero.

The UEFA Referees’ Committee’s verdict

Unfortunately, this magnificent match was not without controversy and the main topic after the match was Cucurella’s hand, which at the time may have robbed the Germans of a place in the top four.

For in the 107th minute, midfielder Jamal Musiala shot from outside the box and hit the hand of a Chelsea defender. The latter, according to most fans and experts, was not in a natural position, and today the UEFA referees’ committee confirms this.

It said they should punish these things more severely than a normal hand in the penalty area. This means that if a hand blocks a shot on goal and it is not right next to the body, it should be automatically whistled.

“According to the latest UEFA guidelines, contact with the ball by the hand that stops a shot on goal should be more severely punished and in most cases a penalty kick should be ordered if the defender’s arm is not directly next to the body,” the referees’ commission said in a report to Relevo about the incident.

The UEFA referees’ commission added that the referee who was sitting at VAR should also have acted. That referee in this fixture was Stuart Attwell, who even backed Taylor’s decision. From his perspective, it appeared that Cucurella had his hand placed on his hip close to his body.

Statement by Toni Kroos

The former Real Madrid player and German international made his comments virtually as soon as the refereeing committee’s verdict came to light. His take on it is that he doesn’t understand the reason why it took them almost 3 months to conclude that it was a hand.

“It took them three months to realise it was a hand. I find that incredibly reassuring. But thanks, it wasn’t that important, I feel good about it,” the German football star complained.

“Can I call myself European champion now? Because they have now officially confirmed it? I wouldn’t say…”, he told Bild.de

Source: Bild, Relevo, Dailymail, X