Former Portuguese referee Bruno Paixao mocked the decision of the referee in the Real Madrid and Real Betis match not to retake Kylian Mbappe’s penalty, which sparked controversy over the past few hours.
Real Madrid suffered their first defeat this season, losing 0-1 to hosts Real Betis on Friday evening in the fourth round of the Spanish league.
Mbappe squandered the chance to salvage a point after missing a penalty in stoppage time of the second half, with goalkeeper Alvaro Valles keeping it out.
Opinions differed over Real Madrid’s right to retake the penalty. Defender Marc Bartra entered the area the moment the ball was struck, then joined the play by stopping Mbappe from following up after the rebound off the goalkeeper.
The Spanish newspapers highlighted that referee Alejandro Hernandez’s decision matched the laws of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), but Bruno Paixao reckons the penalty should have been retaken.
Paixao said, in exclusive statements to Kooora, “The Real Betis defender was inside the penalty area at the moment the penalty was taken, and he later participated in the play by putting the ball out for a corner kick.”
He went on, “The video assistant referee (VAR) should have alerted the referee to review the incident on video to make the correct decision.”
The rule, as the Spanish newspapers pointed out, hinges on the position of a player’s feet, or any part of his body touching the ground, at the moment the ball is kicked.
Parts of the body in the air and their vertical projection onto the pitch don’t count, with one exception: when the entire body is off the ground.
By this reading, Bartra sits outside the penalty area, because his foot never touched the pitch and was suspended in mid-air.
Paixao hit back mockingly: “The player was inside the penalty area. This is football, not basketball!” He noted that basketball’s rules let players touch the ball outside the court as long as they stay off the ground.
The 52-year-old explained, “For example: if a player is outside the penalty area, but touches the ball with his hand while the ball itself is inside the area, then the correct decision is to award a penalty.”
“Guler did not deserve to be sent off”
On another matter, Paixao insisted the referee did not favour Real Madrid by refusing to show a second yellow to Los Blancos man Arda Guler.
Guler tripped a Betis player at the start of the second half. The referee awarded only a free kick without a yellow card, which angered captain Isco, who wanted the Turkish player booked for a second time after his first caution at the end of the first half.
Paixao commented, “In my opinion, this was an ordinary foul by the Real Madrid player, and there is nothing that warrants showing a yellow card against him.”
He concluded his statements, “The referee made the correct decision in that play.”
Who is Bruno Paixao?
IMAGO
Born in 1974, Bruno Paixao is one of the most prominent former Portuguese referees. He officiated across a string of notable competitions during his career, from the Portuguese league to various European tournaments.
His refereeing career ran from 1990 to 2018. He took charge of his first match in the Portuguese Primeira Liga in 1997, before making a name for himself on the domestic and continental scene.
Paixao held his international badge between 2004 and 2012, and ranked among the first category referees in the Union of European Football Associations during the 2012-2013 season, taking charge of matches across a range of domestic and international competitions.
Away from the pitch, Paixao worked as an engineer in industrial production, combining that career with his long spell in refereeing.
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