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In a recent edition of Match Officials Mic'd Up, Howard Webb, the head of PGMOL, and ex-England striker Michael Owen dissected some of the most debated refereeing decisions of the past month.
A prime focus was the contentious incident during the Arsenal-Liverpool clash in December, where Martin Odegaard was involved in a controversial penalty-box moment.
Controversial Moment at Anfield
The match, a high-octane duel between two of England's top teams, was marred by a specific incident involving Arsenal's Odegaard.
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Midway through the first half, with his back to his own goal, Odegaard seemed to inadvertently handle the ball in his box after slipping. Fans and pundits alike clamoured for a penalty, calling the infringement 'blatant' on various social media platforms.
"The referee on the field recognized that Odegaard had slipped and saw his arm go to ground, we've talked in the past about supporting arms if somebody breaks their fall with the arm it's very natural, and that's a pretty well-established concept," explained Webb as reported by Daily Mail.
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"In this situation, though there's an important difference to a normal player that's fallen, it's not just Odegaard accidentally falling onto the ball.
"He does slip, the arm does go out, but he actually pulls his arm back in towards his body which is when the ball makes contact with the arm."
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Webb further elaborated, "The VAR looked at it and thought it was a case of Odegaard trying to make himself smaller by bringing the arm back towards the body.
"That's the element that's important here - whether it's instinctive or deliberate he gets a huge advantage by bringing the arm back towards the ball, and the feedback we got back was very clear; the game expects a penalty, in this situation. I would agree, and as such I think this was one that didn't reach the right outcome."
VAR Decision Under Scrutiny
The game at Anfield ended in a 1-1 draw, a result Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta labelled as one of the most intense of the past two decades.
The incident saw referee Chris Kavanagh and VAR official David Coote agree on not awarding a penalty to Liverpool, a decision later explained by PGMOL to Sky Sports. They stated, "Odegaard's arm is moving towards the body and not the ball as he goes down."
PGMOL confirmed there was contact with Odegaard's arm, but deemed it not a handball offence as his arm was used for balance and moving towards his body.
Former Arsenal player Theo Walcott, speaking at half-time in the studio, acknowledged his former team's luck, saying, "You got sometimes look at players reactions as well I feel Odegaard looks concerned all the players around as well. I want it, I want it as a penalty, I would. I think he's very lucky. I can understand why they've not given it."
The incident remains a talking point, highlighting the ongoing debate about the interpretation of handball rules in football.
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