VAR: Controversy in the Gold Cup final, penalty not called for the US?

Refereeing Controversy in the Gold Cup Final: Unsanctioned Penalty?

The United States coach, Mauricio Pochettino, expressed his frustration after his team’s 2-1 defeat to Mexico in the Concacaf Gold Cup final. The coach’s main complaint centered on a key play that, in his opinion, deserved a penalty. The controversy originated in the 66th minute, with the score tied 1-1. Mexican defender Jorge Sánchez touched the ball with his hand inside his own area, but neither the main referee nor VAR intervened to signal the penalty.

“The truth is that if that happens in the other half, in the other area, it’s definitely a penalty,” Pochettino lamented. “The player had his knee on the ground, he pushed his hand onto the ball. It’s not that his hand was already on the ground and the ball touched it.”

Mauricio Pochettino

The play in question involved Max Arfsten, who was entering the area under pressure from Sánchez and Roberto Alvarado. Sánchez, in his attempt to snatch the ball, touched the ball with his hand.

Referee Mario Escobar considered that Sánchez only touched the ball with his hand to support himself, and VAR, in charge of Benjamin Pineda, did not intervene. The final decision was not to call a penalty.

VAR review: The handball law has become confusing in recent seasons, mainly because many of the exemptions against an offense are now hidden in guidance to officials rather than appearing in the text of the Laws of the Game.

— Dale Johnson (@DaleJohnsonESPN)

The hand law has generated confusion in recent seasons, especially because many of the exemptions to the foul are found in guides for referees, rather than being in the text of the Laws of the Game.

However, this does not exempt a defender from touching the ball while it is falling. It must be considered whether the player deliberately attempts to stop the ball with their arm or move it towards them.

The assessment of intentionality in these situations is not straightforward. A similar case occurred with Martin Ødegaard of Arsenal against Liverpool in December 2023, where VAR did not intervene, but it was admitted that it should have been a penalty.

In the 2022 World Cup, VAR did intervene to award a controversial penalty to Portugal against Uruguay, in a play where José María Giménez touched the ball with his arm when falling, without there appearing to be any intention of stopping the ball.