Spain defender Marc Cucurella has revealed that UEFA altered its handball regulations following a controversial incident involving him during the Euro 2024 quarter-final clash against Germany.
The ball struck Cucurella’s arm inside the penalty area, but the referee opted not to award a spot kick. Spain went on to win the game 2-1 thanks to Mikel Merino’s stoppage-time header.
The decision fueled debates about the subjectivity of handball calls under the rules at the time.
Speaking to AS, Cucurella admitted: “Yes, that handball has been talked about all over the world. In fact, UEFA recently came to give us a talk and used my handball against Germany as an example. And they told me it was because of me that they had to change the rules.”
He, however, denied intentionally handling the ball. “They took a shot at me from close range and the ball hit me, but I didn’t mean to hit it with my hand, I didn’t do it on purpose. Man, I would have been the most hated guy in Spain…” he added.
