Overview
- Referee Robert Hartmann awarded Bayern a handball penalty after Sacha Boey’s shot deflected off Albian Hajdari’s thigh onto his outstretched arm, and Harry Kane converted in a 4:1 win at Hoffenheim.
- Hartmann defended the call on Sky as a 100 percent correct decision under the law, citing the arm held away from the body under tension and deeming the prior deflection irrelevant.
- TV analysts including Dietmar Hamann, Mario Basler, Steffen Freund, Michael Ballack and Erik Meijer criticized the decision and called for changes to the handball interpretation.
- Former FIFA referee Urs Meier labeled the call a misjudgment, described Hajdari’s arm position as natural at close range, and said an on‑field review should have been used to verify the perception.
- Reports differed on whether VAR intervened, with match accounts saying no review and Hartmann later saying VAR confirmed the call, fueling demands for clearer protocols and less over‑technical application.