THE VAR official who awarded Paris Saint-Germain a controversial penalty against Newcastle has been axed for a Champions League game tonight.
Toon looked on course to do the double over Kylian Mbappe’s side as they led 1-0 in Paris with moments to go.
But disaster struck in the 98th minute when a point-blank shot was fired at Tino Livramento.
The ball hit his chest before deflecting onto his arm.
And PSG players went beserk as referee Szymon Marciniak refused to award a spot-kick.
However, VAR official Tomasz Kwiatkowski instructed Marciniak to rewatch the incident on the pitch-side monitor.
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And despite replays showing Livramento knew nothing about the handball, Marciniak decided to reverse his decision.
Mbappe then fired home a penalty to seal a 1-1 draw, leaving Newcastle’s hopes of reaching the next round of of their hands.
The decision from VAR was blasted by the wider football world, with many calling it a “robbery”.
And the backlash has now been felt by Kwiatowski, who will no longer be on VAR duty for tonight’s Champions League clash between Real Sociedad and RB Salzburg.
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The decision is sure to please Newcastle boss Eddie Howe, who was left deflated after yesterday’s final whistle.
He said: “Yes, I do (have a sense of injustice). It wasn’t the right decision in my opinion. There are so many things to take into account at that moment, the speed first.
“It was a ricochet that when it is slowed down looks completely different to the live event.
“The ball hits his chest first, comes up and hits his hand. But his hand is not in an unnatural position, it is down by his side but he is in a running motion.
“I feel it is a poor decision and it’s hugely frustrating for us.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
