Hyderabad: With raw emotions on display when the football players take on the field, the game of football is often engulfed in controversies. With the 90 minutes of action witnessing heated moments, referring is one of the factors which plays a role in the development of many controversial circumstances. Euro 2024 is no exception and the referring standards have been a point of discussion with a lot of controversial calls being taken in the tournament.
England vs Netherlands Semi-Final: Controversial Penalty By VAR
England, last edition’s runner-up, was taking on the Netherlands in the Euro 2024 semi-final match at the BVB Stadion in Dortmund. Xavi Simons' powerful strike in the seventh minute put the Netherlands 1-0 ahead. Simons had shot the ball from outside the box which sailed into the net past England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
Seven minutes later, England striker Harry Kane was caught by right-wing back Denzel Dumfries inside the Dutch penalty box, after which the former went down clutching his feet.
Referee Felix Zwayer paused the match after the ball went out of play while the Video Assistant Referees (VAR) were checking the foul for a potential penalty. The on-field referee was then instructed to have a look at the matter himself. After all examination, the referee was prompted to award the penalty to England as they concluded that Kane was at the receiving end of a late high foot challenge from Dumfries.
Kane, who was cunning on by clutching his feet, took the penalty shoot and found the bottom corner to level the game. With that equaliser, Kane became the player with the most goals in the history of European Championship knockouts.
Turkey vs Austria Round of 16: Controversial Two-Match Ban By UEFA
Merih Demiral, who scored a couple of goals, received a two-game ban for his celebration against Austria in the Round of 16 match of Euro 2024, following which the 26-year-old couldn't participate in his side's quarterfinal clash against the Netherlands. Turkey missed their center-back so badly that they lost 2-1.
According to the German tabloid newspaper -- Bild, Demiral's "wolf" celebration after scoring both goals is linked to "The Grey Wolves," a Turkish right-wing extremist group classified as a terrorist organisation by the European Union and banned in Austria.
However, the Al-Ahli's center-back defended his actions and asserted that the celebration was "connected to his Turkish identity." Albeit UEFA swiftly initiated an investigation, leading to his punishment.
Slovakia vs Belgium: Controversial Disallowed Goals
Slovakia's surprising 1-0 win over Belgium in their Group E match emerged as the first upset of Euro 2024. Ivan Schranz's defensive blunder put Slovakia ahead in the seventh minute. The Belgium side tried relentlessly to record a goal, but the Slovakian side's resolute defense and poor luck forced them to face a heartbreaking defeat at the Frankfurt Arena in Frankfurt.
Belgium's prolific striker Romelu Lukaku tried his best to put his side ahead but failed to finish a couple of times despite finding himself in excellent scoring positions multiple times during the clash.
The striker appeared to have redeemed himself when he found the net in the 55th minute. However, the referees ruled out the goal after a VAR check revealed that the 31-year-old was offside when André Onana headed the ball towards him.
The Red Devils seemed to have secured a late reprieve when Lukaku lashed the ball into the net in the 86th minute. But another VAR check showed that Luis Openda had committed a handball offense before the goal. As a result, Lukaku's second goal was also disallowed.
The first disallowed goal came in the 56th minute for offside, and the second in the dying moments of the match when Lois Openda was deemed to have handled the ball in the buildup before Lukaku's finish.
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