The Allianz Arena was full of controversy in the Champions League semifinal second leg, as Bayern Munich were denied a key penalty after a clear handball by Paris Saint‑Germain’s Joao Neves.
The incident occurred in the 31st minute with PSG holding a narrow 1-0 lead on the night. Following a frantic sequence in the box, a Vitinha clearance struck the arm of Neves at close range, sparking immediate and furious protests from the Bayern players and manager Vincent Kompany.
According to Match of the Day reports, the decision to play on rested on a specific interpretation of the IFAB Laws of the Game regarding deflections.
While Neves’ arm was away from his body, the officiating team determined that the contact was the result of a ‘teammate deflection’.
Sky Sports analysts noted that the rules generally grant leniency when a player is struck by a ball played directly by a teammate from a short distance, as there is often no time for the player to react or move their arm out of the path of the ball.
The referee and the VAR team reportedly viewed Neves’ movement as an attempt to avoid the ball rather than an intentional block.
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Voici pourquoi il n’a pas sifflé penalty sur la main de João Neves :
— 𝙑𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙝𝙤 🇮🇹 (@TomLaZone) May 6, 2026
- Le ballon vient du coéquipier de João Neves (Vitinha) à bout portant.
- Il n’a quasiment aucun temps de réaction.
- Son bras est dans une position naturelle liée à son mouvement.
- Il ne fait aucun geste vers… pic.twitter.com/1SJSAzzprh
According toVerrattinho on X, here’s why he didn’t whistle a penalty for João Neves’ handball:
– The ball comes from João Neves’ teammate (Vitinha) at point-blank range.
– He has virtually no time to react.
– His arm is in a natural position tied to his movement.
– He makes no gesture toward the ball.
– There is no intention to touch the ball with his hand.
– His arm doesn’t block an on-target shot or a clearly dangerous play.
All the criteria that generally lead referees not to penalize a handball are met (Translated from French)
According to Kicker, the officials concluded that because the ball came directly off Vitinha’s boot, the contact did not constitute an “unnatural enlargement of the body” in a punishable sense.
This interpretation left Vincent Kompany incensed on the touchline, with several outlets reporting that the Bayern boss felt the sheer distance the arm was extended should have overridden the deflection clause.
Ultimately, the lack of a whistle proved decisive. Bayern could only manage a 1-1 draw on the night, allowing PSG to advance to the final in Budapest with a 6-5 aggregate victory.
While French media praised the composure of the PSG defense, German press remained focused on the non-call, arguing that the decision cost Bayern a chance to force the tie into extra time and potentially change the course of their season.
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