European Football Championship: Nagelsmann frustrated with penalty: “50 robots that bring coffee”

Julian Nagelsmann did not want to cite the controversial decision following the handball by Spain’s Marc Cucurella as the reason for the national football team’s elimination from the European Championship. However, the scene from the 106th minute in the quarter-finals still haunted the national coach.

“If Jamal (Musiala)’s shot goes on goal, there is a penalty, if he goes into the stands and you can see that, then there is no penalty, that’s relatively simple. He goes on goal, probably even into the goal, and there is no penalty, I cannot understand that,” Nagelsmann criticized the interpretation of the rules by referee Anthony Taylor from England.

Penalty would have been right

Nagelsmann called for a rule change that takes the ball’s trajectory into account. “If Jamal shoots the ball into the Stuttgart city center and Cucurella touches the ball with his hand, I don’t want a penalty for that, but if the ball comes towards the goal and the player stops it with his hand, then there has to be a different assessment basis,” said the 36-year-old. Musiala’s shot would probably have even gone into the goal, said Nagelsmann, so: penalty.

He said he didn’t want to “moan”. But: “Regardless of us, for all other tournaments and games it would be nice if we could also evaluate what happens with the ball,” said Nagelsmann. The national coach also spoke out in favor of using new technology. “There are 50 robots that bring us coffee, then there is also AI that calculates where the cross will come from,” said Nagelsmann.