Khaberni - The UEFA Champions League semi-final return match between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain saw anger from the Bavarian team and its fans due to the decisions of the Portuguese referee Joao Pinheiro, which led to repeated objections especially in the first half.
The match started excitingly on the field after San Germain advanced with an early goal by Ousmane Dembele in the third minute, and refereeing controversies and objections started in the 23rd minute when Stanisic made a precise through ball that put Harry Kane alone with the goal, but the referee blew his whistle for offside despite his assistant not raising the flag.
Based on article 11 of the football laws (offside), the referee has the right to call offside even if the assistant referee does not indicate it, and he is entitled to reject the assistant's offside call if he sees it as incorrect. In any case, the field referee is responsible for his decision.
However, a critical point in matches that apply video technology is that the video referee reviews such situations accurately, and if the decision is wrong, they have the authority to inform the referee to amend his decision, and the referee must comply with the VAR's decision, as offside situations are measured and do not rely on personal judgment like fouls and handballs.
Why wasn't Nuno Mendes Sent Off?
At the 29th minute, Bayern players reiterated their objections to Pinheiro's decisions in his 15th UEFA Champions League match, protesting the decision not to send off Nuno Mendes (who was cautioned) when he blocked a Bayern counterattack with a clear handball.
However, instead of sending him off, the referee awarded a handball against Bayern player Laimer, and in this case, the law is explicit as Article 12 (Fouls and Misconduct) states that the penalty is for the first offense, not the second, which the referee applied.