World Cup 2026: Why Belgium Were Denied a Penalty Against Spain Despite Rodri's Handball
- Belgium crashed out of the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals after Spain's Mikel Merino scored an 88th-minute winner to seal a 2-1 victory
- A controversial incident involving Rodri went unpunished, sparking widespread anger among Belgium fans and online observers
- Swedish referee instructor Victor explained why IFAB laws meant the handball could not be penalised
Belgium's 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign ended in heartbreak on July 10 after Spain claimed a 2-1 quarter-final victory in Los Angeles, but it is a contentious handball incident that has dominated the post-match conversation.
Fabian Ruiz opened the scoring in the 30th minute before Charles De Ketelaere restored parity 11 minutes later.
Substitute Mikel Merino then produced a decisive moment in the 88th minute, reacting to a rebound to score his second goal from the bench in as many matches and send Spain into the semi-finals.
Source: Getty Images
Why Rodri's handball was not a penalty
Belgium's players and supporters were left furious after referee Michael Oliver waved away appeals for a handball against Rodri, with no VAR review following.
The reaction online was swift and sharp, with many believing Belgium had been denied a clear penalty.
However, Swedish instructor and active referee Victor, who runs the Referee Channel on X and regularly breaks down contentious decisions using the laws of the game, offered a detailed explanation for why the officials were correct to take no action.
Victor pointed to the IFAB handball regulations, which state that:
"A handball offence is not committed when the ball strikes a player's hand or arm after being played by a teammate."
In this instance, the ball had been headed by Spain defender Aymeric Laporte before making contact with Rodri's arm, meaning the incident fell outside the scope of a punishable offence.
Victor also noted that the sudden change of direction caused by Laporte's header left Rodri with minimal time to react and that his arm was in a natural position at the point of contact, further reinforcing why no penalty was warranted.
Watch the referee breakdown that explains the handball decision, as shared on X:
Fans react to Rodri's handball incident
Despite the technical explanation, the decision continued to draw strong reactions across social media.
@mo_gadar1 wrote:
"FIFA are a bunch of joke men; if it was Messi, it would've been given."
@jobeagle5 added:
"FIFA VAR loved their favourites."
@dxvanshgoyal said:
"That's what I'm saying, it completely got ignored."
@BOC_ATM questioned:
"Not even a check?! What's going on?"
Source: Getty Images
Spain will face France in the semi-finals on July 14 after Les Bleus defeated Morocco in the opening quarter-final.
La Roja are now one step closer to their dream of winning a second World Cup title, 16 years after their historic triumph in 2010.
Psychic cat gets Spain vs Belgium prediction correct
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Nimbus Pronos, the cat known for predicting football results, tipped Spain to beat Belgium in the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals.
The feline forecaster has built a huge online following after extending its impressive run of accurate predictions.
Source: YEN.com.gh
