Joshua Kimmich has urged football's lawmakers to amend the handball rule after Bayern Munich were denied a penalty in their Champions League semi-final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. The German international described the decision as 'not in the spirit of the game' following a contentious spot-kick awarded against Alphonso Davies.
The incident occurred just before half-time at the Parc des Princes, with the score at 2-2. Ousmane Dembele's cross struck Davies' thigh before deflecting onto his arm, which was close to his side. Referee Sandro Scharer initially waved play on but, after a VAR review, pointed to the spot. Dembele converted to make it 3-2, a lead PSG never relinquished in a 5-4 thriller.
Speaking to Prime Video after the match, Kimmich said: 'More of an unfortunate decision. It's just not in the spirit of the game. That's really frustrating, because there's no opponent behind him who could have scored. The rule could use a tweak.' Bayern manager Vincent Kompany echoed those sentiments, stating: 'I need to understand the reasoning behind that decision. If that was the criteria, it was undoubtedly the defining moment of the match.'
Former England striker Alan Shearer, on co-commentary, disagreed with the penalty, saying: 'Once you see that deflection onto his arm, then that for me, shouldn't be a penalty. Once it comes off his leg onto his arm, what's he meant to do?' Ex-referee Mark Clattenburg also sided with Bayern, noting that similar decisions have been controversial for two seasons.
