The failure to award a penalty for Koukoureja’s immaculate hand in the match between Germany and Spain at the recent Euros, during the refereeing phase of the tournament, at the time sparked much debate about the referees’ decision.
After some time, UEFA recognized this error and sent clear instructions to the referees.
What does this say?
“According to the latest UEFA guidelines, hand-ball contact that prevents a shot on goal should be penalised more severely and, in most cases, a penalty should be awarded, unless the defender’s hand is too close to the body or in contact with the body. In this case (Kukureja), the defender stops the shot on goal with his hand, which is not too close to the body, but is larger, so a penalty should have been awarded,” the directive, which is now in force, underlines.
