Chelsea Controversy: Why Fluminense Were Denied Penalty for Chalobah Handball

• Chelsea vs Fluminense ended in victory for the English club, however a controversial moment came in the 34th minute
• The match official had awarded a penalty to the Brazilian side, but the decision was overturned by the Video Assistant Referee
• It came at the time Fluminense were in charge as Marc Cucurella had cleared a shot off the Chelsea goal line moments earlier

English Premier League club Chelsea are through to the final of the 2025 Club World Cup following a 2-0 victory over Fluminense at the MetLife Stadium in the United States.

New signing, Joao Pedro, who joined the club less than one week, grabbed a brace as the London club secured a ticket to the final of the competition.

However, there was controversy in the 34th minute when VAR denied Fluminense what many have described as a clear penalty.

The Brazilian side were trailing 1-0 after Pedro had given the English club the lead, but they had a golden opportunity to restore parity from the spot.

A free kick from Rene was slightly flicked by Thiago Santos, as it struck Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah’s hand in the penalty area.

Match referee Francois Letexier pointed straight to the spot, as Fluminense fans and players had hope of a equaliser.

VAR explains why Fluminense were denied penalty

However, after a VAR review, Letexier overturned the decision and ruled that Chalobah’s hand was in a “natural position” and thus not punishable.

The call sparked outrage among Fluminense supporters as they felt robbed of a potential game-changing moment.

The referee’s explained that Chalobah’s arm was close to his body and aligned with his movement, adhering to the tournament’s handball interpretation.

It came at a moment Fluminense were gaining momentum as they had nearly equalised before Marc Cucurella cleared a shot off the line.

The overturned penalty kept the Blues in control, and Joao Pedro’s second goal later sealed Fluminense’s fate.

After the match, Fluminense head coach Renato Gaucho and Thiago Silva expressed frustration at the post match presser. Silver said, as per Legit.ng:

"I thought it was a penalty... it could have changed the game. It was a very difficult game... We really value how far we made it."

Meanwhile, hero of the night Joao Pedro disclosed that he was excited to score a brace on the night as he promised to improve. He said via DAZN:

"I was happy to score... The team won... I try to improve every session."

Fans have sparked debate on which player should be Chelsea's first choice striker in the coming season as Pedro joins Jackson and Delap upfront.

How Chelsea won Europa League conference

Legit.ng earlier reported that only recently, Chelsea won the 2024/25 UEFA Europa Conference League, after beating Real Betis 4-1 in Wroclaw, Poland.

Abdessamad Ezzalzouli opened the scoring for Betis in the ninth minute of the first half, but Chelsea sprang to life in the second half to complete the turnaround.

Proofreading by Omoleye Omoruyi, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng