England’s penalty in the Euro 2020 semi-final against Denmark became a controversy among the world’s football fans. In the England vs Denmark match which took place at Wembley Stadium, London, Thursday (8/7/2021), the Three Lions troops were awarded a penalty in extra time, in the 102th minute to be exact.
England received a penalty after Danish defender Joakin Maehle was judged to have violated Reheem Sterling in the penalty box. When the penalty was awarded, the score was 1-1.
Thanks to the penalty, England, who had been left behind in the first half, managed to steal the lead. The 2-1 score for England’s advantage lasted until extra time was over. England won and was entitled to advance to the final of Euro 2020. They will meet Italy, who first qualified for the top party after getting rid of Spain in the semifinals.
Behind England’s journey to the Euro 2020 final, the penalty controversy in the semifinal against Denmark broke out in the midst of world football fans. Many parties think that the referee in charge should not award a penalty to England. Why is that? So far there are two things that make England’s penalty in the match against Denmark a controversy or debate.
1. There were 2 balls on the pitch before the England penalty happened.
The first thing that made England’s penalty controversial was the presence of two balls on the pitch. As Raheem Sterling dribbled and attempted to poke into the Danish penalty area, another ball appeared on the pitch. Sterling even had time to pass the ball just before entering the penalty box and fell.
This raises debate. Many parties consider that the referee in charge should immediately stop the game when another ball enters the field. Is that assessment correct? The following is the explanation contained in the laws of the game part 5 about outside interference.
In the stop sub-section, the referee has the right to temporarily stop the match if there is a violation or intervention from outside the field, one of which is an extra ball. An additional ball, other object or animal enters the court during play, an umpire must:
– Stop play (and restart with a dropped ball) only if it interferes with the course of the match. Unless the ball goes into the goal and the disturbance (2 balls) does not prevent the defender from playing the ball. A goal is awarded if the ball goes into the goal (even if it is in contact with the ball) unless the disturbance is made by the attacking team.
– Allows play to continue if it doesn’t interrupt play and removes the distraction as quickly as possible.”
After looking at the regulations in laws of the game, what do you think about penalties for England?
2. Joakim Maehle’s minimal touch on Raheem Sterling
Apart from the presence of another ball on the pitch, the second thing that caused controversy for England’s penalty was Joakim Maehle’s minimal touch on Sterling. This view was expressed by a number of parties who did not agree with awarding a penalty to England.
In fact, Sterling is considered to have deliberately dropped himself or dived to get a penalty for his team. One of the big names in football who has this view is former Arsenal coach, Arsene Wenger.
“There is no penalty. I don’t understand why in a situation like that the referee doesn’t go straight to look at VAR. At times like that, he has to be absolutely sure,” said Wenger.
