FIFA World Cup 2018: Why Nigeria didn't get a penalty when Argentina's Marcos Rojo handled the ball

After the match, Lionel Messi hinted that there might have been divine intervention as Argentina saw off Nigeria. Some will think the intervention came from Turkish Cüneyt Çakır who refused to give a handball fifteen minutes in.

The referee who awarded a penalty to Nigeria during the match refused to give one when Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo appeared to handle the ball in the box. The ball had clearly come off the player’s head and onto his extended arm while he was defending in the penalty box.

The ball came off the player’s head and onto his extended arm and despite the face of pleas from incensed Nigeria players, the referee took the decision to use VAR.

But after a brief pause for the video review, the decision was made not to award the penalty.

Here’s the video:

Nigeria’s claim for penalty against Rojo’s handball which looks unintentional pic.twitter.com/lLJeWSi2dz

— Nabeel Hashmi (@iNabeelHashmi) June 26, 2018

While Rojo’s play was remarkably similar to one that resulted in Iran being awarded a penalty against Portugal on Monday, a penalty the Iranians scored. To be fair, Iran were lucky to get penalty when Cedric comitted a similar offence

However, strictly following the rules of FIFA, a handball shouldn’t be awarded if player handled it accidently. Neither does his hand move towards the ball (as opposed to the ball move towards his hand).

Excerpt from FIFA’s Law 12 (Fouls and Misconduct)
 

Handling the ball

Handling the ball involves a deliberate act of a player making contact with the ball with his hand or arm. The referee must take the following into consideration:

the movement of the hand towards the ball (not the ball towards the hand)

the distance between the opponent and the ball (unexpected ball)

the position of the hand does not necessarily mean that there is an

infringement

touching the ball with an object held in the hand (clothing, shinguard, etc.)counts as an infringement

hitting the ball with a thrown object (boot, shinguard, etc.) counts as an infringement

Disciplinary sanctions

There are circumstances when a caution for unsporting behaviour is required when a player deliberately handles the ball, e.g. when a player:

deliberately and blatantly handles the ball to prevent an opponent gaining

possession

• attempts to score a goal by deliberately handling the ball

A player is sent off, however, if he prevents a goal or an obvious goalscoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball. This punishment arises not from the act of the player deliberately handling the ball but from the unacceptable and unfair intervention that prevented a goal being scored.

Rojo hadn’t deliberately handled the ball, nor tried to prevent a goal-scoring opportunity which is why he wasn’t sent off or Nigeria didn’t get a penalty.

Cakir had hit the news in 2013 when he gave a red card to Nani and Real Madrid beat Manchester United in the Round of 16 in Sir Alex Ferguson’s last year as manager.

Nigera pay the price for their inexperience

Nigeria paid the price for the inexperience in their squad when they were eliminated from the World Cup in heartbreaking style by Argentina on Tuesday, but defeat in St Petersburg will serve as a valuable lesson, their coach Gernot Rohr said.

Nigeria, who have the youngest team at the tournament, came into the match needing to avoid defeat to hopefully progress to the knockout rounds and, but for Marcos Rojo's late strike, would have held on for a deserved draw instead of losing 2-1.

"It's a big disappointment," Rohr told reporters. "My team gave their best. They played a very good second half and missed qualifying by just a few minutes. These kind of matches build the character of the team.

"In the end Argentina were pushing, pushing, pushing. And they have great players. This is championship level and we are not ready for that now. It was also down to a little bit of luck and we didn't have it today."

Nigeria fell behind to an early goal from Lionel Messi, who opened his account in Russia with the tournament's 100th goal, but the Africans equalised from the penalty spot six minutes into the second half.

They set about the task of stifling the South Americans with aplomb until a late lapse of concentration allowed Manchester United defender Rojo to turn in Gabriel Mercado's cross in the 86th minute and snatch victory for Argentina.

"It is what it is. It just wasn't to be," Nigeria's skipper Jon Obi Mikel said. "It's a young team and in four years most of the players will be ready for this tournament.

"We have a group of boys who want to improve... and this is very good for Nigerian football."

Rohr said the players who had taken Nigeria to the brink of the knockout stages would show much greater maturity at the next World Cup.

"We have a very young team who lack some experience, but in four years we'll be very strong," he added. "I'd like to continue with this team because I have a good feeling about them.

"It's a good cocktail of usefulness and passion and we have discipline. We're missing experience and in the last minute conceded that goal, but this is learning."

Argentina, urged on by practically an entire stadium clad in their traditional blue and white shirts, move on to a round-of-16 meeting with France in Kazan on June 30.

"I think Argentina can do very well in the World Cup," Rohr said. "It will be an interesting game against France. If they find the spirit they had today, pushed on by their supporters, they will be able to do well in the World Cup."