Scandal in Madrid! Referee awards England a penalty after controversial Cucurella incident
The Nations League match between Spain and England on Matchday 6 was overshadowed by a major refereeing controversy before half-time. Shortly before the break, Harry Kane burst into the hosts’ penalty area, where Spain defender Pau Cubarsí fouled him. Referee Clément Turpin pointed to the spot, and Kane confidently converted the penalty. England took the lead — 1-0.
However, Spain demanded that the referee overturn his decision. The reason was an incident involving Marc Cucurella, who, in La Roja’s view, had been fouled by an opponent during the same attack. The referee stood firm. An enraged Cucurella even tried to confront his opponents on the way to the tunnel.
But how justified were the hosts’ complaints? Cubarsí’s contact with Kane in the penalty area looks sufficient grounds for awarding a penalty. At the same time, VAR protocol allows officials to review an earlier infringement if it occurred during the same continuous attacking phase. If Cucurella was indeed fouled and the offence was clear, the penalty should have been overturned. If the contact did not amount to a foul, or the incident was no longer part of the same phase, Turpin’s decision was correct.
Jan Novak
Dailysports's expert
