Minimal contact, maximum reward as Barcelona receive a highly debatable penalty

Barcelona were already leading Levante 2-0 when a highly questionable penalty gave them the perfect start to the second half. Aïssa Mandi made slight contact with Lamine Yamal’s boot, the winger went down and referee González Esteban immediately pointed to the spot.

VAR checked the incident but did not overturn the decision. Lamine converted the penalty in the 46th minute to make it 3-0, although the replays raised far more questions than the officials appeared willing to consider.

THERE WAS CONTACT — BUT WAS IT ENOUGH?

The incident began with Mandi on the ground inside the Levante penalty area. The defender touched the ball with the arm he was using to support his body, an action that does not automatically constitute handball. The referee allowed play to continue.

As Mandi tried to get back to his feet and clear the ball, Lamine stepped in front of him. The defender’s foot appeared to catch the underside of the Barcelona player’s boot. There was contact, but it was slight.

Lamine immediately fell to the ground. The speed and direction of his fall made the decision difficult to understand from the replays, yet the referee had little hesitation. VAR reviewed the footage and allowed the penalty to stand.

In modern football, establishing that some contact occurred can sometimes be enough. Whether that contact was actually capable of causing the fall becomes a discussion for after the goal.

ITURRALDE REJECTS THE DECISION

Former referee Eduardo Iturralde González, who works as an officiating analyst for Cadena SER and AS, strongly disagreed with the call.

He explained that Mandi’s handball was not an offence because the defender was using his arm to support himself. Iturralde also argued that the later touch on Lamine’s boot was nowhere near strong enough to bring the winger down.

His verdict was blunt: the incident should never have resulted in a penalty.

Carrusel Deportivo presenter Dani Garrido reached a similar conclusion. He described the contact as a slight brush against Lamine’s studs and questioned the way the Barcelona player fell after feeling it.

VAR ALLOWED THE CALL TO STAND

The argument is not that Mandi completely avoided Lamine. The images show some contact. The real question is whether every touch inside the penalty area should be treated as a foul.

VAR does not simply replace the referee’s interpretation with another one. It is supposed to intervene when an on-field decision represents a clear and obvious error. On this occasion, the officials decided the contact provided enough justification to support the original call.

Lamine converted the penalty for his second goal of the match. Barcelona eventually won 4-2, meaning the decision did not directly determine the final result. It did, however, hand Hansi Flick’s team a three-goal advantage at a crucial moment.

Minimal contact, a dramatic fall and the biggest possible punishment. VAR watched it all and decided there was nothing to correct.