Uli Hoeneß raged in the stands, the entire FC Bayern bench stood down on the pitch and complained. Hand! Defender João Neves from Paris Saint-Germain had illegally deflected the ball from Munich’s perspective in the semi-final second leg of the Champions League after his colleague Vitinha had made a break in his own penalty area (31st) – but referee João Pinheiro, also from Portugal, allowed play to continue after brief contact with the video referee. From a technical point of view, this was correct.
According to the International Football Association Board (IFAB): If a player is hit in the hand or arm by the ball during a shot or header by a teammate, this is not handball. Unless the ball lands directly in the opponent’s goal or the player scores a goal immediately afterwards – in which case the opposing team receives a direct free kick.
Bayern still appealed for a penalty – no wonder: they were 0-1 behind at the time. After the 4:5 in the first leg that would have meant the end.
