Referee Szymon Marciniak’s contentious decision to deny Barcelona a free kick prior to Inter Milan’s thrilling late equaliser on Tuesday night has been discussed by rules expert Christina Unkel. Davide Frattesi’s extra-time goal secured Inter’s spot in their second Champions League final in three years, and the decision to allow play to continue ultimately allowed Simone Inzaghi’s team to complete a magnificent finale.
Unfortunately, a number of controversial incidents have overshadowed the remarkable 7-6 aggregate victory, which tied the record for the highest-scoring Champions League semi-final. Both Hansi Flick and Pedri have cited dubious officiating as a major reason for the elimination of the tournament favourites, while Inigo Martinez has come under fire for allegedly spitting at an opponent.
Before Francesco Acerbi’s late equaliser, Denzel Dumfries seemed to foul Gerard Martin close to the outside of the box, but Marciniak waived play on. This was the most contentious moment. Former FIFA referee Unkel provided her thoughts on CBS Sports Golazo in an effort to provide light on the incident amid the mounting criticism and divergent viewpoints. See the controversial moment below:
Rules Expert Clears Up Barcelona’s Free-Kick Controversy
She has dubbed the foul as not clear and obvious enough to be overturned
The foul was ‘not clear and obvious’ enough, according to Unkel, to help reverse Acerbi’s late equaliser, much to the dismay of Catalan supporters. Watch the video below at 5:08 to hear what she said:
We won’t get involved in this one because we don’t know if it’s a glaring mistake or if he makes some contact with the ball. Being overly refereeing the situation is not the purpose of VAR. Football doesn’t want that, and neither do they.
In essence, Unkel was stressing that unless a foul is blatantly visible, there’s no need to complicate the decision—regardless of how high-stakes the situation may be. Her use of the phrase “over-refereeing the situation” seemed to perplex some of the studio commentators. One of the commentators went on to say, “I completely agree.
“It’s not a foul, especially the second one. It’s really soft. The defender simply falls over Dumfries as he keeps the ball in play and defends that area with his body. It’s too supple.
Unkel, the former referee, also refuted the idea that Marcus Thuram’s role in the buildup might have influenced VAR’s assessment of the dramatic moment. She mentioned an instance in which the Frenchman’s aerial challenge made room for Acerbi:
“We want to find out if there is any under-cutting in the aerial tasks. Does he jump straight through or is he jumping up? This will not be called up in a big boy’s game.
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