Refereeing chief Marco Trefoloni explains why the Cagliari equaliser against Inter was not disallowed for handball, much to the confusion even of experts.
Former referee and current representative of the AIA (Italian Referees’ Association) Matteo Trefoloni was in the DAZN studio for this evening’s episode of Open VAR.
This weekly show airs the original audio and video from the Video Assistant Referee and their conversations with officials during Serie A matches.
The most controversial incident of the weekend was in the Inter 2-2 Cagliari match at San Siro.
Gianluca Lapadula appeared to knock the ball down over the top with his elbow so that Nicolas Viola could then score.
The conversation in the VAR booth explained that “it is involuntary, a natural movement, because he does not even see the ball.”
Multiple refereeing experts point out that when it comes to handball directly leading up to a goal, it does not matter if it is involuntary or a natural movement.
This is the version provided by several refereeing experts, including DAZN’s own Luca Marelli and Christina Unkel of CBS Sports Golazo.
“I myself am surprised…”
Our rules expert @ChristinaUnkel joins the show to give her thoughts on Cagliari’s controversial equalizer 👀 pic.twitter.com/b6Yr7g7fIN
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 14, 2024
However, Trefoloni insisted that allowing the Cagliari goal was the correct call.
“We consider this to be a valid goal. The ball comes from behind, he is not expecting it, he is moving into the space and does not expect the ball to strike him on the arm.
“His arm is a natural movement, trying to shake off close marking from a defender, he is not actively making his body bigger,” explained Trefoloni.
“If Lapadula had then immediately scored the goal, then the goal would’ve been disallowed, because any kind of control with an arm and then immediately scoring means it is automatically disallowed.
“However, if it is an accidental handball as a pass leading up to a goal, then it is not disallowed. For example, we would not have expected a penalty to be awarded for a handball like that, so if it is fair for a defending player, it is fair for an attacking player.”
DAZN refereeing expert Marelli again insists that Lapadula moved his elbow towards the ball, whereas Trefoloni maintains the striker was merely running and therefore his arm was in a natural movement.
IFAB clarified the handball rule in 2021, confirming the version that Lapadula’s assist does require intentional handball.
“Accidental handball that leads to a team-mate scoring a goal or having a goal-scoring opportunity will no longer be considered an offence.”
Nicolas Viola latches on to a loose ball to get a late equaliser for Cagliari at San Siro 🫢
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/v3tSdrMlnT
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 14, 2024