Clean handball.. Why didn’t the referee award a penalty against Paris?

The confrontation between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain witnessed a controversial refereeing situation in the 31st minute, which caused widespread objections from the players and fans of the Bavarian team.

The strike came when Vitinia sent a high ball into his team’s penalty area and it collided with the hands of teammate Joao Neves, prompting the Bayern players to call for a penalty for handball.

However, Portuguese referee João Pinheiro refused to call a foul, stating that the game should continue, a decision that was met with great anger in the stands at the Allianz Arena.

Why wasn’t a penalty awarded?

Returning to the International Federation of Football Associations (IFAB) rules for the 2025-2026 season, this situation is not considered a violation in most cases for several reasons that are clear in the text of the law:

First, the ball was received directly by a teammate (Vitinha) and at relatively close range, meaning Joao Neves did not have enough time to react or avoid it, which throws in the element of ‘intention’.

Second, the laws distinguish between normal hand position and abnormal body enlargement, and in such cases, if the hand is in normal position and the player makes no additional movement toward the ball, the hand ball does not count.

Third, the official commentary states that if the ball touches a player’s hand coming directly from a teammate, it is not a foul unless the hand is in an unreasonable position or there is no apparent intent.