Luca Marelli provided commentary on the contact between Renato Veiga and Krstovic during the Juventus-Lecce match. Here`s a summary of his analysis:
Regarding the incident at the 29th minute of the first half, involving a long ball and a challenge between Veiga and Krstovic, it`s crucial to pay attention to the details. From our perspective, we initially see Veiga holding Krstovic, leading us to believe a foul should be called. However, upon closer inspection, Veiga`s shirt is also significantly stretched.
In my opinion, the referee Zufferli`s error wasn`t in not awarding a penalty – because the hold concluded inside the area – but rather that nothing should have been whistled at all. Both players were clearly grappling and holding each other`s shirts. You can observe Krstovic`s left hand also attached to Veiga`s jersey. In such instances of mutual holding, it`s best to let play continue. Awarding a penalty would have unfairly penalized Veiga, as he was also being held. Conversely, calling a foul against Krstovic would also be excessive, as he was equally restrained.
VAR didn`t intervene because the leg contact occurred outside the box, and the foul originated outside the area. The contact between legs was very incidental; it`s natural for players in close proximity to touch legs, but it doesn`t constitute a foul. The crucial infraction to consider is the holding, assessed at its conclusion, not its initiation. While the leg contact might be on the edge of the penalty area, the key point is that there wasn`t a clear and obvious error. The mutual holding occurred but wasn`t a definitive foul committed by the defender inside the penalty area. Had a penalty been given, a red card could have been debated as Krstovic was in an advantageous, central position, but my interpretation, likely shared by the VAR room, is that the threshold for a clear and obvious error regarding the holding on Krstovic wasn`t met. It would have been better not to whistle anything, as penalizing the attacker in this situation was excessive.
Marelli added, “In my view, the foul by Kelly on N`Dri in the 93rd minute is much clearer. N`Dri advances the ball, and Kelly, late in the challenge, extends his leg and makes contact with the Lecce player. In my judgment, a foul should have been awarded to Lecce, along with a yellow card for Kelly. Not a red card, as there were other defenders present, and the ball was moving away from the goal.”