Newcastle will be furious after UEFA penalty statement emerges

There can scarcely have been a more controversial decision than the one made at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday night, as Newcastle came within a whisker of doing a Champions League double over Paris Saint-Germain.

The Magpies had held firm against a wave of attacks from the Ligue Un giants and were getting ready to celebrate a famous win when VAR and the opinion of the match official intervened.

Despite replays clearly showing that a cross into the box had first struck Tino Livramento on the chest before hitting his arm, the referee, Szymon Marciniak, after consulting with VAR via the pitchside monitor, awarded the spot-kick.

It was a cruel way to lose two points and an advantage in the group, albeit, Eddie Howe’s side can still qualify on the final day it will just be that much more difficult now.

As The Shields Gazette report, a UEFA statement regarding penalties – that was issued last season – flies in the face of the decision made on Tuesday, ensuring even more anger from the Magpies and their followers – if that were somehow possible.

‘In their guidelines for next season, the Board recommends that UEFA should clarify that no handball offence should be called on a player if the ball is previously deflected from his own body and, in particular, when the ball does not go toward the goal,’ the statement read.

Rightly or wrongly, that decision is now consigned to the history books, which is where Newcastle’s 23/24 Champions League campaign may end up after the final group match this season.

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