Italian VAR Marco Di Bello faced criticism for his decisions during the Bayern Munich vs. PSG Champions League semi-final, but the IFAB rules support his actions.
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Why Italian VAR Di Bello was right in controversial Bayern Munich vs. PSG decision
Italian VAR Marco Di Bello came under fire during the Champions League semi-final between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, but the IFAB rules explain why he was correct.
The 44-year-old Italian official was in the booth for tonight’s match at the Allianz Arena in Munich, the second leg after a 5-4 thriller in Paris last week.
MUNICH, GERMANY – MAY 06: Jamal Musiala of FC Bayern Munich runs with the ball while under pressure from Joao Neves and Bradley Barcola of Paris Saint-Germain during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Semi Final Second Leg match between FC Bayern München and Paris Saint-Germain at Football Arena Munich on May 06, 2026 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
He infuriated Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany and the fans when deciding not to intervene after the ball clearly struck Joao Neves on the outstretched arm.
VAR Marco Di Bello made a decision that sparked criticism during the Champions League semi-final, but it was justified according to IFAB rules.
His decision was deemed correct based on the guidelines set by the IFAB, which govern VAR usage in football.
The VAR decisions influenced the flow of the match, but the specific impact on the outcome is subject to interpretation based on the game's events.
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Referee Joao Pinheiro of Portugal had also not pointed to the spot for the incident, but he waited for confirmation from Di Bello and was told to play on.
This caused a huge amount of controversy in the media and in the stadium itself, but the IFAB rules show Di Bello was right not to suggest an On-Field Review.
It is because the ball was fired onto Joao Neves’ arm by PSG teammate Vitinha.
In their bid to clarify the handball rules, IFAB added a caveat to the laws of the game, noting specifically that it is not a handling offence if a player is “hit on the hand/arm by the ball which has been played by a team-mate (unless the ball goes directly into the opponents’ goal or the player scores immediately afterwards, in which case a direct free-kick is awarded to the other team).”
When it came to another handball row earlier on Nuno Mendes and PSG wanted a second yellow card, Di Bello could not get involved, as the VAR is not allowed to deal with bookings unless they are to be upgraded to straight red cards.
TWO huge handball shouts from Bayern Munich ✋