Were Bafana Bafana denied a penalty? VAR expert lauds referee for brave but ‘correct’ decision in AFCON loss vs Egypt

South Africa have been discussing the 87th minute incident involving Egypt player Yasser Ibrahim.

The defender handled the ball in the danger zone, and the supporters celebrated the VAR review, believing that it was a penalty for Hugo Broos’ men. However, it turned out to be teh opposite as the referee decided otherwise.

Even coach Broos felt undone by the referee, “In the pretournament meeting, they said if the arm is extended from the body it’s a penalty. The arm was extended off the body so it was a penalty. Then they told me nonsense, saying it was a supporting arm. The arm was extended and the ball hit it so it was a real penalty,” he said in his post-match interview.

Were Bafana Bafana denied a penalty

Former FIFA Referee and Video Assistant Referee (VAR) instructor Jerome Damon believes the officials made the right call.

“Ref saw handball outside penalty area and whistled foul. VAR first checked where the contact was, then saw inside penalty area. So if handball, then penalty kick,” he wrote on his social media account.

“VAR second check: Handball or not? The defender was sliding towards the ball and it hits the supporting arm [one coming down to ground]. Was it a consequence of the slide? Yes. Was it justified? Yes. So non-deliberate. That’s why VAR recommended [on field referee] for possible no-penalty.

“Ref relooked and agreed. Non-deliberate handball which is not punishable as arm was not making body unnaturally bigger. Final decision: No offense. Restart: Drop ball,” he concluded.