‘Super harsh’ - Newcastle United controversy name dropped by Howard Webb in honest interview

The Magpies were denied a famous win away at the Parc des Princes when a penalty was awarded against Tino Livramento for handball, despite the ball ricocheting off the defender before brushing his hand. Kylian Mbappe would go on to convert the spot-kick to rescue a point for PSG, ultimately leading to Newcastle’s elimination from the group.

Ever since the introduction of VAR, the handball rule has caused plenty of controversy with that call against Livramento one of the most high-profile decisions in the last couple of seasons. This season in the Premier League, as Webb revealed on the Stick to Football podcast, there have been no penalties awarded for handball, such has been the loosening of these rules with more leniency given to defenders.

Whilst this had made for a much better spectacle on the pitch, none of it will help Newcastle fans, many of whom still feel aggrieved by that night in Paris. Asked about the current handball rule by Gary Neville, Webb referenced the penalty given against Eddie Howe’s side to show the difference between the way UEFA interpret the law compared to the Premier League’s approach. 

“They (UEFA) do that to be consistent.” Webb revealed. “They do it because they say if your arm gets hit when it’s away from your body you’re going to get penalised. 

“But then you see situations like Newcastle last year in Paris. Super harsh penalty, wasn’t it? It came off his body first and then onto his arm. In the end, they lost the game on the back of that.”

In the wake of that decision, Tomasz Kwiatkowski, who was on VAR duty for that match in Paris, was stood down from his role as referee for the match between Real Sociedad and RB Salzburg the following evening. That draw in Paris meant that PSG were in control of their own destiny heading into the final match week - with Newcastle’s eventual 2-1 defeat at home to AC Milan ensuring they came bottom of the group.