Referee Experts Agree Juventus Denied Clear Penalty in Draw Against Fiorentina
Multiple Italian refereeing specialists have expressed consensus that Juventus should have received a penalty during their recent 2-2 draw against Fiorentina, specifically for a handball by Joao Mario. DAZN pundit Luca Marelli stated, “No doubt,” about the missed call.
In the closing minutes of the match, experts from La Gazzetta dello Sport, Tuttosport, and Corriere dello Sport all confirmed that Joao Mario’s handball inside the box warranted a penalty kick for the visitors. Marelli emphasized the nature of the handball, noting that “the point of contact is below the elbow, more on the arm than in the armpit. The ball deflects off the player unexpectedly, but his arm was far from his body.”
Considering the incident further, Marelli explained, “One possible interpretation is that the ball was unexpected, but Joao Mario had his arm positioned at a 90-degree angle. It is quite difficult to argue that this handball should not be penalized, even though there was an earlier touch with the boot of the Fiorentina player.”
Marelli also remarked on the events leading up to the incident: “Kolo Muani missed the header, and the ball came close to Joao Mario. There is no doubt the Fiorentina player touched the ball with his arm, and he should have been punished. Calling the incident unexpected is only one possible explanation, but VAR should have brought the referee to the monitor to award a penalty.”
Throughout the match, Fiorentina took the lead twice, first with Mateo Pellegrino and then with Alieu Njie. However, Juventus managed to equalize on both occasions, thanks to goals from Nick Woltemade and Gleison Bremer.
The draw leaves Juventus in seventh place on the Serie A table with 18 points after 11 matches, while Fiorentina sits at 15th with nine points.
