DORTMUND, Germany — Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand hit out at “ridiculous handball guidelines” and mentioned “this isn’t how soccer must be” after two VAR choices within the area of two minutes in opposition to his staff helped Euro 2024 hosts Germany seal a 2-0 round-of-16 victory in Dortmund.
Premier League referee Michael Oliver dominated out a Joachim Andersen aim on 48 minutes following a VAR intervention that highlighted a marginal offside involving Denmark midfielder Thomas Delaney.
Two minutes later, Oliver awarded a penalty to Germany after VAR officers Stuart Attwell and David Coote urged him to overview an obvious handball by Andersen from David Raum’s cross. Kai Havertz scored from the spot to place Germany 1-0 forward, and Jamal Musiala then added the hosts’ second aim later within the half.
However an offended Hjulmand questioned the usage of VAR after the sport and famous that each choices went in opposition to his staff.
“It was determined by two VAR choices,” Hjulmand mentioned. “I’ve the photograph right here [of the Delaney offside]. It was one centimetre. It does not make sense, this isn’t how we’re imagined to be utilizing VAR.
“After which after a couple of minutes, it is a penalty [to Germany]. I’m so bored with the ridiculous handball guidelines. We should always not require defender to be enjoying with arms like this. He [Andersen] was working usually, it is a regular scenario and he was hit with the ball from a metre away.
“I hardly ever speak about these choices, however it was very decisive for this recreation. Being in entrance at 1-0 would have been essential and adjusted every part for our staff.
“Good luck for Germany, however in my view, this isn’t how soccer must be.”
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann admitted that he had no qualms with Hjulmand’s complaints, saying he would make the identical argument had the choice gone in opposition to his staff.
“We had a penalty and I perceive Denmark have been irritated by it,” Nagelsmann mentioned. “It is fairly harsh, he did not do it deliberately, however that is the rule. I might have been upset if it had occurred the opposite method round, although.”
Regardless of the 2 essential calls going in opposition to his staff, Hjulmand mentioned he remained a supporter of the usage of VAR.
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“I at all times favored VAR,” he mentioned. “I feel know-how can do one thing good for the game, however in my view, when a choice is sweet it must be seen from the moon and never depend upon just a few centimetres. It is imagined to be clear and apparent.
“However when it is like this, it is somewhat questionable. It must also be faster. There needs to be a method to enhance it.
“We have been taught in seminars so many instances to clarify the handball rule and now we have requested what’s a pure motion?
“After we are advised, this isn’t a pure place for handball as a result of the participant has to have his arms out to run. Simply inform me what the rule is.”
UEFA issued an announcement on its web site defending the handball determination and the usage of know-how to detect the handball by Andersen.
“Throughout the match between Germany and Denmark, related ball know-how housed inside Adidas’s Fussballliebe ball confirmed that Denmark defender Joachim Andersen touched the ball along with his hand contained in the penalty space,” UEFA mentioned.
“On this occasion, the sensor was in a position to report precisely the contact of the hand of the participant with the floor of the ball.
“The ‘heartbeat’ of the ball proven on broadcast is similar because the referee sees through the on-field overview and discerns the purpose of contact precisely to five-hundredths of a second.”
Hjulmand, in the meantime, defended referee Oliver’s determination to take each groups off the pitch within the first half as a consequence of {an electrical} storm.
“I wasn’t frightened, however I used to be on the lookout for the gamers,” he mentioned. “I used to be concerned in a recreation in Denmark when the lightning hit considered one of my gamers, so I understand how harmful it may be.
“The lightning was proper over the stadium, I noticed my gamers’ response and it was the best factor to return off.”
