Why Spain’s controversial penalty against France stood despite Lamine Yamal handball claims | Other Sports News

Spain’s 2-0 victory over France in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final was overshadowed by a controversial first-half penalty that sparked widespread debate among fans on social media. Many questioned whether Spain winger Lamine Yamal had handled the ball in the build-up before winning the spot-kick that gave his side the lead.

The incident occurred in the 22nd minute at AT&T Stadium in Arlington when France defender Lucas Digne miscontrolled the ball inside his own penalty area. As Digne attempted to clear it with his second touch, Yamal nipped in front of him and was caught by the defender’s follow-through, prompting referee Iván Barton to immediately point to the penalty spot.

Mikel Oyarzabal converted the penalty to hand Spain a 1-0 lead, before Pedro Porro sealed the victory in the second half to send the Spaniards into the FIFA World Cup 2026 final.

The controversy centred on whether the ball had struck Yamal’s arm moments before Digne fouled him. Slow-motion replays appeared to show contact with the Spain winger’s upper arm, leading to calls for the penalty to be overturned.

However, under the International Football Association Board (IFAB) Laws of the Game, not every contact between the ball and a player’s arm is considered handball.

The current law states that a handling offence is committed only if a player deliberately touches the ball with the hand or arm, or if the arm has made the body “unnaturally bigger.” The reference point for determining handball is the “T-shirt line”, with contact above the bottom of the armpit not considered a handball offence.

In Yamal’s case, his arm remained tucked close to his body in a natural position, and the apparent contact occurred near the sleeve area. As a result, there was no punishable handling offence before Digne’s challenge.

With no infringement by the Spain forward, the referee correctly penalised Digne for kicking Yamal inside the penalty area.

Former FIFA referee and ITV rules analyst Christina Unkel supported the on-field decision, explaining why the incident did not qualify as handball. “The contact is on the sleeve of  Yamal, so it would not be considered part of the arm. That would not be recalled back for a handling offence. The penalty should stand.”

Former England defender Gary Neville also defended the decision, saying Digne should have been more aware of Yamal’s movement before attempting the clearance.

France head coach Didier Deschamps expressed his frustration after the match, although he stopped short of blaming the defeat solely on the penalty decision.

“If I say anything, I’ll look like a sore loser because we lost,” Deschamps said after the match. “But I ask you, is the referee up to the task of officiating a World Cup semi-final? There’s the penalty, but that’s not all; it adds to everything else.”

Despite his criticism, Deschamps admitted Spain were the better side on the night as France’s hopes of reaching another World Cup final came to an end.

While the penalty continued to divide opinion online, the IFAB Laws of the Game, referee interpretation and expert analysis all supported the same conclusion: Yamal did not commit a punishable handball, making Spain’s spot-kick the correct decision under the current laws.