Iturralde González on Santa Clara–Sporting scandal: Saw it 30 times | OneFootball

Iturralde González has no doubt that the decision by João Pinheiro and the VAR to award a penalty for a foul on Morten Hjulmand in the Santa Clara – Sporting match was wrong. The former Spanish international referee, speaking to the newspaper Record, analyzed the incident in detail.

“I watched the play 20, 30 times and [Tiago Duarte] puts his hand on the face while jumping, but I believe [Hjulmand] throws himself. When [the Santa Clara player] puts his hand on the face, a second passes, [the Sporting player] realizes the contact and lets himself fall, but it is not enough to call a penalty,” Iturralde González began by stating.

“It is not one of those plays where you are hit and fall immediately. Action and reaction as referees say. It is not an action/reaction play, it is not a play where you hit and knock down. It is not a VAR play, a clear, obvious, and manifest penalty play,” added the former Spanish international referee.

“There is another aspect to consider. The ball is not going to that player [Hjulmand], but to another. If [João Pinheiro] calls a penalty, he should have expelled the player [Tiago Duarte] for violent conduct. If he calls a penalty, it is because he saw an aggression. And if the ball is going to another side of the field, then we are talking about violent conduct. But I saw more simulation than a blow,” concluded Iturralde González.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.