Champions League final referee says Liverpool should have been awarded penalty against Real Madrid

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Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg disagreed with the decision not to award Liverpool a penalty against Real Madrid at Anfield.

Referee Istvan Kovacs originally awarded a free-kick to the Reds when Dominik Szoboszlai's shot from distance struck the arm of Aurelien Tchouameni during the first half.

However, replays showed that the ball hit Tchouameni's arm in the box, which understandably had most Liverpool fans thinking that the free-kick would be upgraded to a penalty.

After reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor, though, Kovacs decided that Tchouameni's arm was not in an unnatural decision, and the game resumed with a drop ball.

Clattenburg, who refereed the Champions League final in 2016, originally expressed confusion over why Kovacs was reviewing the incident on the monitor, saying: "When it’s a factual decision for ball, in or out of the penalty area, normally the VAR would just tell him over the headset and just say it’s a factual decision, it’s a penalty kick, so it’s interesting that he’s actually going to have a look for a second opinion."

After Kovacs signaled that he was overturning his original decision, Clattenburg said: "So what the VAR’s done, in his opinion, because Istvan Kovacs has given the handball, which I think it’s a handball, he’s made his body bigger, so I don’t agree.

"I agree with the referee’s initial decision of handball, and once it’s handball, the handball is inside the penalty area. What Istvan Kovacs is now saying, it’s not a handball, therefore he doesn’t believe that the defender made his body bigger.

"You can clearly see the ball touching the hand. That’s why the VAR has recommended a review, saying the decision is wrong to give the handball, but I disagree, I think this is a handball."

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