That’s three now: Iturralde González disputes Benfica’s view on AFS | OneFootball

Iturralde González reiterated that no penalty was left uncalled in the match against AFS. According to the former FIFA international referee, there was no infraction by the player from the northern team, considering that the incident in question, pointed out by Benfica, did not directly hit the player's arm.

"In my opinion, there is no penalty because the ball did not go directly to Rivas's arm", Iturralde González began, countering the complaints made by Benfica about an alleged infraction by the defender. It should be noted that the match ended with a 3-0 victory for the eagles, with goals scored by Alexander Bah, Enzo Barrenechea, and Rafa Silva.

"Sidny's shot was very close; Rivas's arm is in a natural position for the play and the ball first hit his waist, then Rivas's leg, and from there it went to his arm. In other words, it was a rebound off his own body", added the Spaniard.

"It would be different if the hand was much more open or above the shoulder. In that case, even if the ball had come from his body, as his arm would be very far from the body and extending upwards, then yes, it would be a penalty. But here, his arm is not away from the body, nor above the shoulder, nor extending upwards; it's in a natural position and the ball came from his leg, so it can't be a penalty", he explained, in statements to the newspaper Record.

"As I said, for it to be a penalty when the ball comes from his own leg, his arm would have to be very open, extending much more, or above the head. Therefore, it doesn't matter where the ball comes from. But here it is a natural position in the contest for the ball; it's a very close shot and does not increase the volume, nor does it hit the ball far from the body. For me, it is not a penalty", concluded Iturralde González.

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