Rules expert Christina Unkel has weighed in on the controversial decision by referee Szymon Marciniak not to award Barcelona a free-kick in the lead-up to Inter Milan’s dramatic late equaliser on Tuesday night. The decision to let play continue ultimately paved the way for Simone Inzaghi’s side to complete a grandslam finish, with Davide Frattesi’s extra-time winner securing Inter’s place in their second Champions League final in three years.
Unfortunately, the historic 7-6 aggregate win - which matched the record for the highest-scoring Champions League semi-final - has been overshadowed by several contentious moments. Inigo Martinez has been criticised for allegedly spitting at an opponent, while both Hansi Flick and Pedri have pointed to questionable officiating as a key factor in the tournament favourites’ elimination.
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Former Champions League final referee Mateu Lahoz walked viewers through the controversial incident during a segment on Spanish television.
The most hotly debated moment came when Denzel Dumfries appeared to foul Gerard Martin near the edge of the box before Francesco Acerbi's late leveller, but Marciniak waved play on. Amid the growing backlash and conflicting opinions, Unkel - a former FIFA referee - offered her analysis on CBS Sports Golazo in an attempt to bring clarity to the incident. Watch the contentious moment below:
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She has dubbed the foul as not clear and obvious enough to be overturned
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Much to the qualms of those of a Catalan persuasion, Unkel claimed that the foul was 'not clear and obvious' enough to play a role in overturning Acerbi's last-gasp equaliser. She said (watch from 5:08 of the video below):
"Because we don't know if this is a clear and obvious error, he gets a little bit of contact on the ball, we are not going to get involved in this one. That's over-refereeing the situation, and that's not what VAR is used for. They don't want that, and football doesn't want that."
Unkel’s use of the phrase “over-refereeing the situation” appeared to confuse some of the studio pundits, but put simply, she was emphasizing that unless a foul is clear and obvious, there’s no need to complicate the decision - regardless of the high-stakes nature of the moment. In agreement, one of the pundits added: "I totally agree.
"Especially the second one, it's not a foul. That's super soft. Dumfries just maintains the ball, uses his body to protect that space and the defender just falls over him. It's too soft."
Former referee, Unkel, also denied that Marcus Thuram's involvement in the buildup could have affected how VAR looked at the dramatic moment, as she added about an incident which saw the Frenchman's aerial challenge create space for Acerbi:
"When it comes to aerial challenges, we are looking to see if there's any under-cutting. Is he jumping up or is he jumping directly through? In a big boy's game, this isn't going to be called up."