Keith Hackett lambasts ‘poorly written’ law as Leeds star punished on international duty
Ethan Ampadu was the victim of a harsh decision from referee Daniel Siebert as he was deemed to have committed a handball offence which led to a penalty for Belgium against Wales.
That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that the subjectivity of the handball law was to blame for the decision being given after a VAR check.
Wales needed a win against their highly-ranked opponents on Monday (13 October) to boost their chances of automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup, and they started brilliantly as Joe Rodon headed home early on for 1-0.
The visitors soon grew into proceedings, however, and referee Siebert gave them a penalty in the 17th minute for handball by Ethan Ampadu, which was duly dispatched by Kevin De Bruyne.
De Bruyne netted his brace from the spot in the second-half after Thomas Meunier had given his country the lead, and Wales eventually lost 4-2 to Belgium on a night that could have been very different had the early penalty decision gone their way.
Ethan Ampadu penalised for contentious handball decision
Belgium were pushing for an equaliser when Atalanta forward Charles De Ketelaere attempted to cross from a tight angle inside the Wales penalty area and the ball hit Ampadu’s arm.
German referee Siebert was unmoved by Belgian claims, but VAR official Pascal Muller saw fit to review the decision and send him to the monitor as a penalty was then given.
New Napoli star De Bruyne was unsurprisingly cool as he dispatched the spot-kick, but there was a sense of injustice that lingered throughout as the hosts tried and failed to get back into the game.
Former Wales international Danny Gabbidon slammed the Ampadu decision as “ridiculous,” while losing boss Craig Bellamy admitted the call was “difficult to take” and proposed a change to the handball rules in a post-match interview.
Keith Hackett slams handball laws with ‘split’ between referees on what constitutes an offence
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, former PGMOL official Hackett admitted he would not have given handball and blamed the powers that be for uncertainty around the ruling, as he said: “Once again we see the wide interpretation of the handball law and a high level of subjectivity that is involved in the decision making process.
“The referee must first of all ask himself: did the player make his body shape larger? Then, was the movement of hand to ball? Where did the ball strike on the hand and arm? Was the movement of the hand towards the ball deliberate? Finally, the distance the ball travelled.
“It’s a harsh call and, frankly for me, because of the distance the ball has travelled and what I consider to be an arm movement which is natural when making movement, I would not have awarded a penalty kick.
“I guess that if you put a hundred referees in a room you are likely to get a split decision down the middle. (This is) another example of a poorly written law that really fails to emphasis and ask was the action of the player deliberate? I suggest not.”