Mark Clattenburg has weighed in on the ongoing debate surrounding a potential penalty that Celtic were not awarded during their match at Aberdeen.
The incident involved a Sebastian Tounekti cross that struck the arm of an Aberdeen defender inside the penalty area. Referee Nick Walsh waved away the appeals, VAR chose not to intervene, and now Clattenburg has added his voice to those backing the decision.
Speaking to 67 Hail Hail, the former FIFA referee said the defender’s arm was in a natural position and therefore could not be considered to have made his body unnaturally bigger. On that basis, he said he was not surprised no penalty was given.
The footage shows the arm slightly away from the body, which is why the incident has continued to generate discussion. But the question of whether that constitutes an offence comes down to the precise wording of IFAB Law 12, which is worth examining closely.
Under the law, a handball offence occurs when a player deliberately touches the ball with their hand or arm, or when they touch it in a position that makes their body unnaturally bigger. The critical test is whether the position of the arm is a consequence of or justifiable by the player’s movement in that specific moment. If it is, no offence has been committed. The law also makes clear that by placing their arm in an unjustifiable position, a player takes on the risk of being penalised if the ball strikes it.
Applying that framework to the Aberdeen incident, Clattenburg’s reading appears to hold up. The arm does not appear to have been extended in a way that was unjustifiable given the defender’s body movement, which is ultimately what the rule requires. Most Celtic supporters, however grudgingly, may find themselves having to accept that the officials got this one right.
The match has also generated separate controversy over a possible stamp on Kieran Tierney that VAR apparently failed to act on, keeping the debate around officiating decisions and Celtic very much alive.