Didier Deschamps stopped short of directly blaming the referee for France’s 0-2 defeat to Spain in the FIFA World Cup semifinal in Dallas, but made it clear he was unhappy with the performance of Salvadoran official Iván Arcides Barton Cisneros.
While the France boss suggested it was the overall standard of officiating that frustrated him, he also referenced Spain’s first-half penalty, which sparked widespread debate on social media over whether Lamine Yamal had handled the ball before being fouled.
The incident occurred in the 22nd minute when Lucas Digne, after miscontrolling the ball with his first touch, attempted to clear it on the second but instead caught Yamal inside the penalty area. The Spain winger had nipped in front of the France defender before being kicked. Mikel Oyarzabal converted from the spot to hand Spain the lead.
By half-time, social media had erupted with claims that Yamal had handled the ball before winning the penalty. Images from multiple angles quickly circulated online, reigniting the debate. But was there actually a handball?
According to the International Football Association Board’s (IFAB) Laws of the Game, the cut-off point for a handball offence is the bottom of the armpit, commonly referred to as the “T-shirt line”. Any contact above that point is not considered handball, even though modern shirt sleeves often extend lower down the arm.
In Yamal’s case, while the ball did appear to make contact with his arm, it remained tucked close to his body with the elbow in a natural position. Under the current interpretation of the law, that is not considered a punishable handball, making the decision to ignore any handling offence and penalise Digne for the foul the correct one.
Speaking on ITV, referee analyst Christina Unkel backed the decision.
“It’s a good analysis to take a look at that. The contact is on the sleeve of Yamal, so it would not be considered part of the arm,” she said.
“That would not be recalled back for a handling offence. The penalty should stand. Like Harry Kane, they’re committed to the challenge, but they have the option of not making contact.”
Oyarzabal calmly converted from 12 yards before Pedro Porro, assisted by Dani Olmo, doubled Spain’s advantage in the 58th minute.
France never truly recovered. Their first shot on target did not arrive until the 81st minute, while Golden Boot leader Kylian Mbappe was kept remarkably quiet throughout the contest.
Spain will now await the winner of Wednesday’s semifinal between England and Argentina in Atlanta. France, meanwhile, will face the loser in Saturday’s third-place playoff in Miami.