German media cry foul over alleged handball by England women’s team

As the German football team licks their wounds following their defeat at Wembley, at least some of the disappointment is being channelled into speculation as to whether the team was fairly treated, even maybe defrauded out of victory. In particular there is discussion over whether the referees overlooked what is being referred to as a “clear case of handball” in the 25th minute of the match. The tabloid Bild, for one, is furious. Under the headline: Anger over the Scandal Referees, the paper writes, it was “clear to see that the England player, Leah Williamson played the ball at shoulder height, with her hand”.

It accuses the referee Kateryna Monzul, of failing to view it as a handball, while the video referees, Paolo Valeri and Pol van Bockel, came to the joint conclusion that it was not a punishable move, “So they did not even check the scene!” Bild declares.

The tabloid confronted Monzul about her decision after the match, with the question: “What happened in the 25th minute with England’s handball?” Monzul, it said, “shrugged her shoulders and stretched her arms out wide in an apologetic way and left. No explanation.”

The tabloid then proceeded to confront Valeri after the end of the match in the mixed zone. His response, it said, was: “Non posso dire niente, mi dispiace” – or “I can’t say anything, I’m sorry”. Bild interprets this more bluntly in German as: “Sorry, I’ve been muzzled.”

Later in a widely broadcast media interview, Germany’s trainer, Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, was also critical of the decision: “At this level in a final of the European Championships something like this should not happen,” she said. “I would like for there to be a discussion about this. But what I don’t want is that it is overlooked.”

In