UEFA have settled one of the most controversial refereeing incidents of last season's Champions League, issuing strict instructions to referees: any player who handles the ball inside his own penalty area during play must concede a penalty.
Spanish newspaper "Mundo Deportivo" reported that the directive serves as a reminder of the storm that erupted in the first leg of the 2025-2026 Champions League quarter-final between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. Defender Marc Pubill stopped the ball with his right hand inside the box after goalkeeper Juan Musso passed to him while a free kick was being taken.
According to the report, the directive does not directly address the wider refereeing error made that night at the Camp Nou on 8 April by Hungarian referee Istvan Kovacs, who overruled the VAR led by Germany's Christian Dingert. It does warn, though, that this point of the law leaves no room for discretion or interpretation. It must be a penalty.
Barcelona trailed 2-0 that night and were a single goal down when the incident occurred. Coach Hansi Flick made his fury plain: "It is for precisely this type of situation that we have VAR, it should have been a second yellow card and a penalty." Atletico coach Diego Simeone defended the call from the other dugout: "A penalty was not awarded in application of common sense."
The clarifications aim to ensure referees point to the spot should a similar incident arise.
Inconsistency sits at the heart of the problem. A penalty was awarded in the Club Brugge against Aston Villa tie during the 2024-2025 season, yet the same offence was waved away in the Arsenal against Bayern Munich clash in the spring of 2024, exactly as it was at the Camp Nou.
This summer marks the second in a row that Atletico have found themselves at the centre of one of the Champions League's most contentious refereeing moments.
Julian Alvarez had a goal chalked off in the penalty shootout that decided the 2024-2025 round of 16 tie in Real Madrid's favour, ruled out because the striker touched the ball twice in succession.
Several months later, UEFA ruled that any future shootout goal scored after an unintentional double touch must be retaken from the penalty spot.