Spain benefits? 61-year-old Chinese referee: Yamal escaped a yellow card for a reckless tackle, and the penalty should have been overturned due to handball.

On the evening of July 15, Beijing time, Sun Baojie, a 61-year-old famous Chinese referee, analyzed several contentious calls in the semi-final between Spain and France, which ended 2-0. He believed that the penalty resulting from Yamal's handball should have been disallowed, and that Yamal also avoided a yellow card for a late challenge on Mbappé.

Just 20 minutes into the game, Spain took the lead via a penalty. Yamal was brought down by Digne, and Salvadoran referee Iván Batón immediately pointed to the spot. Sun Baojie stated that this was a misjudgment.

The Chinese referee explained: "Digne definitely committed a foul by kicking the player, there's no doubt about that. However, there is another crucial detail that cannot be ignored: Yamal actually touched the ball with his hand before being tripped."

"Some people argue that a handball with the arm tucked in is unintentional. But that is not the only criterion for determining deliberate handball. When we look at how this call was made, Yamal was actually watching the ball closely, aware of its direction, landing point, and path. Despite this, he still charged toward the ball with his arm tucked in, made contact with the ball using his arm, and a penalty was awarded. Under these circumstances, it would have been more reasonable to call a handball first and cancel the penalty. "

Furthermore, Sun Baojie also believed that Yamal should have received a yellow card for a reckless tackle on Mbappé in the second half, which sparked strong dissatisfaction from French coach Deschamps.

On this, Sun Baojie commented: "You can see Yamal's foot and leg made contact with Mbappé's standing leg, and Mbappé's foot was twisted. Judging from the point of contact, it was the standing leg, which poses a risk. Moreover, Yamal was coming in at high speed. The speed and force of the run posed a risk to Mbappé. Therefore, this was a reckless tackle that deserved a yellow card."

Of course, Sun Baojie did not believe the referee was biased toward Spain, as Olise's reckless tackle on Rodri in this match also at least escaped a yellow card.

"From the slow-motion replay, Olise did not touch the ball but directly stamped on Rodri's ankle. Given the force and speed, it was very close to a serious foul warranting a red card. At the very least, it should have been a yellow card. However, considering the timing—it was the 14th minute—the referee was afraid to break the balance too early and did not dare to show a red card."