FFF refereeing department says Lens’s first penalty against Auxerre should have been overturned | OneFootball

The French football federation’s refereeing department said on Tuesday that Lens’s first penalty against Auxerre should not have stood in Saturday’s 5-2 Ligue 1 win.

The result is not disputed, but the opener remains contentious. In the 10th minute referee Mathieu Vernice awarded a spot kick for a handball by Arthur Piedfort, and VAR upheld the decision. Florian Thauvin converted in the 12th to put Lens ahead.

The handball was considered not punishable under Law 12, as Piedfort was in a duel with Ismaël Ganiou when the ball struck his arm.

He no longer controlled the movement of his arm, so there was no deliberate attempt to handle and no artificial increase of body surface. The on-field call should have been corrected after the video review.

By contrast, the 35th minute dismissal of Christ Makosso was deemed correct. The Congo defender was the last player able to prevent Abdallah Sima running through on the Auxerre goal.

Source: L'Équipe

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