PREM ref Anthony Taylor has been hit by another blow – after Uefa bosses said he wrongly denied Germany a penalty during Euro 2024.
Taylor was relegated to fourth official duties last weekend after booking a record 14 players in Chelsea’s 1-0 win at Bournemouth.
The Wythenshawe whistler is due to be back in the middle this weekend after being appointed to take charge of Liverpool’s visit to Wolves on Saturday.
But a report by Uefa’s referees’ committee, leaked in Spain, castigated Taylor for not awarding Germany a spot kick during extra-time of their last eight defeat by the subsequent champions.
And that led to former Germany midfielder Toni Kroos lambasting Taylor for his decision and mockingly asking: “Can I now say that I am a European champion?”
Taylor played on after Jamal Musiala’s shot was blocked by the arm of Chelsea defender Marc Cucarella, with his decision not to award a spot kick backed by VAR Stuart Attwell.
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Arsenal summer recruit Mikel Merino scored the winning goal for Spain soon afterwards, with the incident leading to Cucarella being jeered mercilessly by German fans in both the semi-final win over France and the Final against England.
But the official report of the Uefa body makes clear that Taylor got it wrong.
It said: “Following the latest UEFA guidelines, hand-to-ball contact that stops a shot on goal should be punished more strictly, and in most cases a penalty kick should be awarded, unless the defender’s arm is very close to the body or on the body.
“In this case, the defender stops the shot on goal with his arm, which is not very close to the body, making itself bigger, so a penalty kick should have been awarded.”
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Taylor, one of Uefa’s most senior refs, was surprisingly not appointed to any matches when the new-look expanded Champions League kicked off last week.
And the report sparked a backlash from Germany, led by Kroos – who was playing what became the final match of his career.
He said: “It took them three months to realise that there was a handball, something that almost everyone could see in a second.
“That reassures me a lot.
“Can I say that I am now European champion because it has been officially confirmed? I don’t think so.”
After the game, Cucurella admitted that the ball hit his arm but Taylor “immediately” told him it was not a foul.
He said: “The ball hit my hand, but the referee immediately said no, no, no, and that made me feel better.
“If the refereeing experts say it’s not a handball, then it’s not a handball”
Taylor was also criticised for his role during Nottingham Forest’s defeat to Everton last season.
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The official denied the East Midlands outfit of three penalty decision.
He was also involved as the fourth official as three red cards were handed out in Forest’s 2-2 draw against Brighton on Sunday.
Official stance
By Mark Halsey
WHEN Morgan Gibbs-White went to ground on Joao Pedro already on a yellow card, I thought he could be in big trouble.
Rob Jones clearly signalled for a throw in to Brighton and then made a gesture that Gibbs-White had clearly won the ball.
Therefore, fourth official Anthony Taylor should simply not have got involved.
Taylor has refereed that second-half incident. Had he not made the signal for a throw and that he won the ball, then Taylor could have helped Jones.
And that incident sparked the managers and saw things boil over on the touchline.
Ultimately, the officials caused Fabian Hurzeler and Nuno Espirito Santo to be sent off for their reactions to the decision.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
