[Maddix]

Told you they'd get 'reffed' to the final

[Imre varadi]

They are the only team ive seen who have gone for it maddix ! i think they deserve to win it but portugal may bore them to pens and then this tournement becomes a bigger joke than what it has been ! one thing for sure the south Americans will be laughing there bollocks off at how shit the teams are in europe ? id say now that chile are the best team in the world ??????? football at international level has gone right down the pan !!

[Jacko The Flopsy Piglet]

Told you they'd get 'reffed' to the final

Blatant pen for me. Only a keeper should jump with his arms that high above his head.

[Daffodils on the piano]

I thought Wales had won it? They're having a heroes welcome round the streets of Cardiff,street party,open top bus,civic reception etc.
xxxx me they didn't win then.

[madsteve]

Told you they'd get 'reffed' to the final  

Blatant pen for me. Only a keeper should jump with his arms that high above his head.

"You Are The Ref" say it was a referee error because to be handball. it has to be intentional and in this instance there was no intent. Also, his hands were not in an unnatural position considering that he was challenging to head the ball.

One thing they often say is that if the referee makes a decision that shocks both teams and the crowd then it is probably a wrong decision.

So while it was unwise to jump with his arms up & it gave the referee a decision to make, by the laws of the game, it wasn't a penalty.

[Jacko The Flopsy Piglet]

Sorry to disagree but when I went on a refereeing course, quite a few years ago now, we were told that raising your hands above your head was an unnatural position and constituted a deliberate act. I know players have to use their arms for leverage but he had both arms up above his and the French player's head. As soon as the ball hits it the ref has to give it if he sees it clearly. It's a "scruffy" way to give away a penalty, I agree, and there are plenty of other little things that occur in the area that ref's miss but it doesn't mean the ref shouldn't give them if he sees them.

[Maddix]

I'll go with MS' quote,

One thing they often say is that if the referee makes a decision that shocks both teams and the crowd then it is probably a wrong decision.

and also add most of the viewing public

Could go into other factors like Pigboss was off balance due to a little nudge but

[Jacko The Flopsy Piglet]

That's part of the problem, the ref has no way to prove a player's intent to play the ball with his hand or arm other than the positioning of said limbs. If he misses the push that leads to the flailing arms but sees the ball hit the arm then he has to give the handball. I remember seeing Holt give away a pen at Brighton that got us relegated when he was pushed in the back as he jumped to head a cross away. To me the push was obvious from above and behind the goal but the ref apparently only saw the second part of the incident. I was gutted at the time but afterwards I realised the ref had to give the pen.

[Maddix]

Exactly. The ball hit the arm. The arm didn't intentionally play the ball

Aside from that, they've had nearly every decision going, the last 20 minutes I saw against Albania was appalling. It was as though the ref was urging the French forward

[Imre varadi]

all the more reason when it comes to your country youre suppose to win it ? but at the end of the day we still had bottles wankers who when the push came to shuve played like feffing muppets and missed pens ! rememebr 96 very well !