Remember Cucurella's handball at EURO 2024? Well, it should've been a penalty

Acknowledging mistakes is not easy, and sometimes it takes time. In the case of the UEFA Referees Committee, approximately two and a half months is enough. That's how much has passed since the EURO 2024 semi-final clash between Spain and Germany, in which the hosts demanded a penalty in the 107th minute with the score at 1-1. The English ref Anthony Taylor remained mute on the Germans' protests, nor did VAR react. Twelve minutes later, Mikel Merino netted the winner, launching La Roja to the grand final in which the Spaniards beat England, becoming the European Champions.

Eighty days later, the UEFA Referees Committee issued a statement, admitting the mistake and acknowledging that Die Manschaft should have been rewarded a penalty.

"Following the latest UEFA guidelines, hand-to-ball contact that stops a shot on goal should be punished more strictly, and in most cases a penalty kick should be awarded, unless the defender's arm is very close to the body or in contact with the body. In this case [Cucurella], the defender stops the shot on goal with his arm, which is not very close to the body, making himself bigger, so a penalty kick should have been awarded," the statement said.

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Apart from the time that passed, this reaction was particularly surprising given that the Chairman of the Referees Committee Roberto Rosetti wholeheartedly defended Taylor after the semi-final. Still, this will be a little consolation to the Germans, who have been eliminated one step before the grand final in their country and in front of their home crowd.