After the victory over Germany, Spain is in the semi-finals of the 2024 European Championship against Italy. The stadium in Munich gave a Spaniard a particularly cold reception.
Marc Cucurella and Germany’s football fans are unlikely to become friends any time soon. During the European Championship semi-final match against France in Munich, the Spanish left-back was booed mercilessly every time he touched the ball – apparently by German football fans in the stadium.
In the quarter-final against Germany, Cucurella blocked a shot by Jamal Musiala in the penalty area in extra time with his arm. However, the English referee Anthony Taylor and his team did not award a penalty. Experts are divided as to whether the decision was correct.
Was it handball or not?
A possible penalty would have been a great chance for Germany to take the lead. A little later, in the 119th minute of injury time, Mikel Merino scored the 2:1 for Spain. Germany was eliminated and had to abandon its dream of winning the European Championships at home. In the days that followed, the discussions about the allegedly punishable handball escalated and culminated in a petition on change.org to have the match replayed. This of course completely hopeless undertaking nevertheless received more than 500,000 signatures.
Marc Cucurella reacted to discussions with humor
Two days after the match, Cucurella himself reacted to the discussions about the scene with humor. The 25-year-old said he was a player. “If the referees say it wasn’t handball, then of course I respect that as a player,” Cucurella explained and laughed. When asked about referee experts who also didn’t judge the scene to be handball, he said: “If you tell me the referee experts say it wasn’t handball, then it’s not handball.”
The Spanish fans in the Allianz Arena tried to support their defender. They responded to the constant boos with chants of Cucurella.
Source: Stern
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