UEFA’s own guidelines explain why Jarell Quansah’s goal was WRONGLY disallowed

November 9, 2023
Sam Millne

Jarell Quansah was cruelly denied a first senior goal as his late equaliser against Toulouse was incorrectly disallowed in the Europa League.

Football is a very subjective game. Therefore, officials use rules and guidelines produced by the tournament’s organiser in order to referee the competition.

In this case, UEFA’s guidelines are fairly clear in that Quansah’s goal shouldn’t have been disallowed for an Alexis Mac Allister handball.

In April, UEFA said: “The Board recommends that UEFA should clarify that no handball offence should be called on a player if the ball is previously deflected from his own body and, in particular, when the ball does not go towards the goal.”

This would apply to Mac Allister as the ball bounced off his chest. ESPN editor and VAR ‘expert’ Dale Johnson added that the arm was being withdrawn and was close to the body as further mitigating factors as to why this was the wrong call.

So many reasons why Mac Allister handball is a terrible VAR decision.

? Arm close to body
? Being withdrawn not moved to ball
? High on arm
? Not deliberate
? Way back in play

But this is UEFA, with goals disallowed for any handball in attack phase.pic.twitter.com/md6lnLp1hs

— Dale Johnson (@DaleJohnsonESPN) November 9, 2023

Perhaps even more frustratingly is how far back the handball was supposedly committed before the goal was scored.

While it isn’t strictly against the law to go back this far in UEFA competition, it seems bizarre that Toulouse can win the ball back then lose it again between the offence and the goal.

In the Premier League, this isn’t the case. The league’s website reads: “The VAR will only check the attacking possession phase that led to the penalty or goal.

“The starting point will be limited to the immediate phase. The VAR may not go back to when the attacking team gained possession.

“The VAR will consider the ability of the opposing defence to reset, and the momentum of the attack.”

So, whether or not Mac Allister did commit a handball offence, it shouldn’t really have been checked anyway.

The officials on duty included referee Georgi Kabakov and lead VAR Dragomir Draganov.