Ex-Serie A Referee Luca Marelli Explains Why Matteo Darmian Handball Wasn’t A Penalty For Bologna Vs Inter Milan: “Would’ve Been A Penalty If His Other Arm Touched The Ball” | OneFootball

Former Serie A referee Luca Marelli feels that Daniele Orsato’s decision not to award Bologna a penalty against Inter on Sunday for a handball by Nerazzurri defender Matteo Darmian was correct.

Speaking to Italian broadcaster DAZN, via Inter-News.it, the former referee suggested that, had the 33-year-old handled the ball with his left arm then the incident would’ve been a penalty, but that since he only made contact with his supporting one, it was right not to point to the spot.

Bologna wanted a penalty for an incident when Darmian clearly made contact with the ball with his arm after a shot by Rossoblu midfielder Lewis Ferguson.

Ferguson’s shot was first blocked by Darmian’s leg, and then deflected onto the former Manchester United player’s arm.

It had been suggested that the fact that no penalty was given because any time the ball deflects off another part of a player’s body onto the arm, it is not correct to award a foul.

However, from Marelli’s perspective, it is not quite as simple as that.

“It’s not true that if the ball comes off another part of the body, it means that any subsequent touch by an arm cannot be punished,” the former referee explained.

“If Darmian had touched the ball with his left arm, in other words the arm that was raised above his head, then it would have been a penalty,” he added.

“However, he was fortunate in that the ball bounced off his supporting arm instead.”

Marelli also commented on Bologna’s disallowed goal in the first half, which saw an effort by striker Musa Barrow go into the back of the net, but chalked off due to midfielder Nicolas Dominguez interfering with the goalkeeper’s line of sight from an offside position.

“Barrow’s goal had to be disallowed, there’s no doubt of that,” he said.