UEFA was responding to criticism from football fans—particularly Arsenal supporters and their manager—who were left fuming after the incident.
By Kehinde Okeowo
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has insisted that the decision to deny Arsenal a late penalty in Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League (UCL) semi-final first leg against Atlético Madrid was correct.
The European football governing body made its position clear in a statement released following the controversial incident.
Eberechi Eze, who came on as a substitute for Arsenal in the second half, went down inside the box in the 78th minute following a challenge from Atlético defender David Hancko.
Dutch referee Danny Makkelie initially awarded the spot-kick but performed a U-turn after VAR intervened and asked him to review the incident at the pitch-side monitor.
After watching multiple replays, Makkelie decided to overturn the penalty, despite Hancko making contact with Eze’s foot.
The decision left many football fans, especially Arsenal supporters, fuming, while Gunners’ boss Mikel Arteta described the call as “completely unacceptable”.
However, in a terse response, UEFA wrote: “The Atleti player, No. 17, did not commit a foul on the opponent.”
