The law answers… Was Belgium wronged by Spain in Rodri’s strike?

One of the refereeing tackles in Spain’s 2-1 win over Belgium in the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup last Friday night sparked widespread controversy after Belgium players called for a penalty after a handball on Rodri in the penalty area.

Despite the protests, English referee Michael Oliver refused to call any fouls, a decision that is in line with the law of the game, according to International Football Association Board (IFAB) regulations.

Why wasn’t a penalty awarded?

The strike came after the ball deflected off the head of Spain defender Aymeric Laporte before hitting the arm of fellow player Rodri in the penalty area.

And according to IFAB RulesTouching the ball with a player’s hand or arm is not considered a foul if the ball has reached him directly from a teammate, unless the touch has resulted in the ball going directly into the opposing team’s goal or the player scoring an immediate goal, in which case the foul counts in favor of the other team.

Based on this text, the referee’s decision not to award a penalty was considered legally correct.

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A similar incident happened in the Champions League

This was not the first time that this interpretation of the law was applied, as the second leg of the Champions League semi-final between “Paris Saint-Germain” and “Bayern” on May 6 witnessed such a situation.

In that match, a loose ball by Portugal’s Vitinha hit teammate João Neves in the penalty area, but the referee did not award a penalty, based on the same text of the Laws of the Game.