Controversial penalty call leaves Czech Republic and South Africa level

Czech Republic and South Africa drew 1-1 on Thursday evening in their second match of the World Cup, after a disputed handball call on Pavel Scholz inside the penalty area. The decision sparked immediate criticism in the Czech Republic and online, with many arguing that the ball had struck his arm while it was close to his body and did not affect the play.

The VAR did not step in to overturn the on-field decision, leaving the penalty in place. Local outlet SPORT reported blunt criticism of the team as well, saying, “We were too slow. It was an unnecessary mistake that led to the penalty, and the substitutions came too late.”

On social media, users attacked the officiating and asked, “Where is the VAR? What are we missing,” while another post called it “a very bad whistle” and “the harshest refereeing mistake in the World Cup so far.” FIFA has not yet explained the call.

The incident was especially costly for the Czechs because it came against one of the weaker teams in the group. The article also noted that the law says only deliberate contact with the ball can lead to a penalty, and that coaches and players received a pre-World Cup video explaining all possible handball scenarios in the box. The tournament has seen relatively few penalties so far.