Did the referees at Allianz Arena make the right call? What do the rules say about the incident in the 31st minute, which could have had a major impact on the outcome of the match?
Bayern, at that moment, were trailing PSG by two goals on aggregate. Visually, they seemed to have the upper hand – dominating possession and pressing into the opponent’s box, where Josip Stanisic whipped in a dangerous cross.
The ball from the Croatian defender was only parried by the visiting goalkeeper Matvey Safonov, and Vitinha was quickest to react.
The Portuguese midfielder controlled the ball with one touch and tried to clear it away from PSG’s goal with the next. But he ended up blasting it straight into the arm of compatriot Joao Neves, who was standing just five meters away.
Bayern’s reaction? Understandable. Nine of their players – all except the unflappable Austrian Konrad Laimer – immediately turned to referee Joao Pinheiro, making it clear what they thought of the incident in the box.
To their surprise, the Portuguese referee remained completely calm and, even after consulting VAR, decided not to penalise Neves’ actions.
Although the home players, the entire bench led by coach Vincent Kompany, and even the legendary Uli Hoeness in the stands were all convinced otherwise, the 38-year-old official acted in line with the rules.
According to IFAB (International Football Association Board) rules, a handball is not called if a player is struck from close range by a teammate, the hand is in a natural position (in line with the body’s movement), and there is no time to react.
However, if the hand is in an unnatural position, making the body bigger, if the player deliberately moves the hand towards the ball, or gains an advantage with the hand, then it is considered an offence.
There was also controversy in the 29th minute. Another Portuguese player, Nuno Mendes, already on a yellow card, stopped a Bayern counterattack with his hand. Naturally, the home side demanded a second booking and a sending off. But to no avail.
Pinheiro – reportedly on the advice of the fourth official – awarded a free kick to PSG, having penalised an alleged handball by Laimer a few seconds earlier. However, TV replays did not clearly confirm this.
"Why wasn’t it a red card? I don’t understand. Why did we get a penalty in Paris and not here? I know the rules, but his hand was above his head," Kompany fumed after the match and Bayern’s elimination. "It felt like some handball decision went against us," he added.
"It’s at the very least surprising that a referee with only 15 Champions League matches to his name is in charge of a game like this. That might explain some of his decisions today," Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen told Sky Sport about Pinheiro.