‘Impossible’ – Former La Liga referee backs Barcelona in penalty debate after Levante | OneFootball

A former leading member of the referee’s association in Spain has provided his take on the controversial penalty awarded against Barcelona on Saturday.

This comes after the Blaugrana were left feeling altogether hard done by late in the first-half of their trip to Levante yesterday evening.

Hansi Flick’s troops, when all was said and done in Valencia, emerged on the right side of a 3-2 result. This, though, only came owing to a spectacular comeback.

Barca fell into a two-goal hole on the stroke of the interval, after Levante were awarded a penalty for an alleged handball offence on the part of Alejandro Balde.

Replays, however, showcased the fact that the defender’s arm was against his body, with the widespread consensus having therefore been that the decision was a harsh one.

And this is an opinion shared by ex-La Liga referee Mateu Lahoz.

Drawn on the spot-kick awarded to Levante during an appearance on COPE (as cited by Mundo Deportivo) in the game’s aftermath, Lahoz explained:

“His hand is quite detached. This hand isn’t punishable. He can’t pull it back any further.”

The Spaniard continued:

“The last precedent we have of this referee going to the monitor was a handball by Tchouaméni in the Clásico. If he decided at that moment that it wasn’t a penalty, it’s impossible for him to call a handball on this play.”

Conor Laird – GSFN