Scandal at Porto-Famalicão, analyst cites missed pen, spared red | OneFootball

One of the most controversial moments of the match between Porto and Famalicão (2-2) came in the 45+2nd minute and, in the opinion of Pedro Henriques, Famalicão should have been awarded a penalty. The refereeing expert has no doubt that the officiating team’s decision was incorrect, also stating that a red card should have been shown.

According to the analysis, Zaidu committed an infringement while challenging Gustavo Sá for the ball: “As Zaidu jumps to intercept and head the ball, he raises his right arm carelessly and moves his elbow, striking Gustavo Sá squarely on the back of the neck/head,” as reported by the newspaper 'A Bola'.

Pedro Henriques goes further and stresses that this type of action should always be punished: “The use of hands, arms and elbows at the level of the face, head, back of the neck and neck, an area considered protected, is always a risk because, in addition to the technical offence (direct free kick), there is always the disciplinary issue.”

For that reason, the former referee believes that not only was a penalty not awarded, but also a sending-off was missed: “In this specific situation, as Zaidu jumps, he clearly and obviously moves his right arm [...] striking him squarely, so a penalty should have been awarded along with a second yellow card and the resulting red.” In addition, he also points to shortcomings in the technological support, saying that “VAR was missing” in the incident.

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