After 17 wins in a row in the Champions League group stage, FC Bayern were held to a 0-0 draw against Copenhagen. On the occasion of a penalty being withdrawn, one Munich player went on to criticize the handling of the hand rule in general
“You don’t fillet an opponent like that. We didn’t take enough risks, it’s not easy against such a deep block,” said Thomas Müller on DAZN after the goalless game. Towards the end of the game, Bayern, and Müller in particular, had repeatedly called for a penalty. “Whether they were all penalties is open to debate. It doesn’t look so wild on the pictures,” the 34-year-old said honestly, but felt he had been fouled at least once when Peter Ankersen pushed him in the 84th minute, even after looking at the TV pictures.
However, there was ultimately no penalty in the entire match
“I wouldn’t have given the penalty either “
On one occasion, however, referee Stephanie Frappart actually pointed to the spot when Ankersen was unlucky to see the ball hit his ribs and forearm from close range in a duel with Frans Krätzig in stoppage time. The Frenchwoman subsequently reversed her initial decision after studying the video
“I personally wouldn’t have given the handball penalty either,” said Müller, who then added: “But the rulebooks give it.” The 2014 world champion compared the action to the extremely controversial handball penalty given deep into stoppage time in Tuesday’s match between PSG and Newcastle. In Paris, Magpies player Valentino Livramento had similarly unintentionally received the ball on his forearm from point-blank range. “Yesterday it wasn’t given at first, then given after a video check. Today it’s first given, then not,” Müller wondered.
Müller: “You can’t objectify the hand rule “
The attacking player dislikes one point in particular about the current approach, for which he promptly provided a suggestion for improvement. “I think the current situation is that the referees want to objectify the hand rule, but you can’t objectify it. You should simply let the referee decide whether the handball is worthy of a penalty. Give the referee the power,” demanded Müller.
Where the handball takes place makes a big difference: “Am I preventing a goal? A huge assist? Or do I go towards the corner flag and get the ball against my hand? Then I just get it against my hand. Let the referee decide subjectively, based on a few criteria of course. Nobody is happy that way. I don’t know if the guys and girls at FIFA are sitting in their room and saying that the hand rule is really great at the moment. I don’t think so. “
