UEFA have made a controversial decision ahead of Newcastle United’s Champions League clash with Benfica at St James’ Park.
The Magpies will be looking to bounce back from a Premier League defeat at Brighton on Sunday while building off their biggest-ever Champions League win last time out in the competition.
Earlier this month, Newcastle beat Union Saint-Gilloise 4-0 in Brussels with goals from Nick Woltemade and Harvey Barnes either side of two Anthony Gordon penalties.
Benfica are unbeaten domestically so far this season but have lost each of their opening two Champions League group phase matches. They threw away a 2-0 lead at home to Qarabag to lose 3-2 in their group phase opener before losing 1-0 at Chelsea last time out in the competition.
The match will see Jose Mourinho back at St James’ Park for the first time since he managed Tottenham Hotspur to a 2-2 draw back in April 2021. The Portuguese manager will be returning to a very different club this time around, with Newcastle qualifying for the Champions League in two of the last three seasons while also ending a 70-year domestic trophy drought by winning the Carabao Cup back in March.
In Mourinho’s 12 previous visits as manager to St James’ Park, his record stands at three wins, four draws and five defeats. His only Premier League win at St James’ Park came behind-closed-doors with Spurs in July 2020.
And as Mourinho prepares to face The Magpies once again, UEFA have confirmed some key appointment ahead of the game.
And they certainly won’t go down well with Newcastle.
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UEFA make controversial NUFC match official appointments
Polish referee Szymon Marciniak will be officiating the match at St James’ Park on Tuesday night.
That name may well ring a bell for Newcastle supporters, but if not, let us fill you in.
The match will be Marciniak’s first Newcastle match since the 1-1 draw at Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League back in November 2023. That match was marred by a stoppage-time VAR penalty decision for a handball against Tino Livramento.
While Marciniak waved away PSG’s penalty appeals at the time, VAR prompted the referee to look at the monitor, which resulted in him overturning the decision.
And Newcastle, who led 1-0 following a first-half goal from Alexander Isak (the striker’s only Champions League goal to date), ended up drawing 1-1 at Kylian Mbappe converted the resulting penalty. The decision, which was later deemed incorrect by UEFA and prompted greater clarity on the handball rule, arguably cost Newcastle a place in Europe as they ended up finishing bottom of the group.
Had they seen out the 1-0 win, Newcastle would have at least finished third in the group with PSG finishing bottom. Instead, the Ligue 1 side progressed to the knockout stages and ended up reaching the semi-final before winning the competition the following season.
Although Marciniak made the final decision to award the penalty, his initial decision to play on was indeed correct - it was the VAR that set the wheels in motion for the controversial overturn. Unfortunately for Newcastle, Tomasz Kwiatkowski, who was VAR for the 1-1 draw in Paris, will also be on VAR duty against Benfica.
The assistant referees, Tomasz Listkiewicz and Adam Kupsik are also the same along with fourth official Pawel Raczkowski. The only change from the PSG match will see Cesar Soto Grado replace Ivan Bebek as assistant VAR.
Eddie Howe reacts to Newcastle United penalty injustice
It was later clarified that the match officials made a mistake by awarding PSG a penalty with replays showing the ball hitting Livramento’s torso before striking his arm in a natural position.
Despite the injustice and his side’s Champions League fate hanging in the balance at the time, Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe was able to keep his cool.
"What you don't take into account with those replays is how quick the ball goes,” Howe said on the penalty decision. “It hits his chest first. If it hits his hands first, well it's still not a penalty because he's so close. But you can make more of a case.
"It's not a penalty when it hits his chest first and then hits his hand which is low. I'm not allowed to sum it up. I can't say my inner thoughts obviously [I'd get in trouble].
"I thought the referee was having a good game up until this moment. He had been strong."
Explaining his perception of the event, Howe added: "It was, in my opinion, not the right decision. So many things to take into account. I think the speed first, it was a ricochet that when slowed down looks totally different from the live event.
"The ball hits his chest first then comes up, and hits his hand. I don't think his hand is in an unnatural position. It's done by his side, he's in a running motion. I feel it's a poor decision.
"It was hugely frustrating for us because in that moment because in that moment you know how little time there is left in the game. Nothing we can do about that.
"I have to control myself, that's my job. It doesn't do any good to lose control of what you think and say.
"But I just feel for the players after what they've given today and how we've performed in very difficult circumstances and what that decision does to the group. Now the destiny is not with us, but that's tough to take after being so close."
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