Turkish referee, Cuneyt Cakin, who officiated the crucial match between Nigeria Super Eagles and Argentina has revealed that he didn’t know why he did not award the penalty for the handball of Argentine defender, Marcus Rojo.
The referee made the disclosure when Super Eagles captain, John Mikel Obi, asked him why he denied them the penalty.
Mikel said the referee admitted that the ball touched the hand of Rojo in the 82nd minute of Tuesday’s game but he put up a defense in not awarding the crucial spot-kick.
Speaking at the post-match briefing in St Petersburg, Mikel said,
“I asked the referee if he thought the ball struck Rojo’s hand and he said ‘yes’. The referee told me that the ball came off Rojo’s head before it hit his hand.
“I then asked Cakur why he didn’t award the penalty to Nigeria, he said: ‘I don’t know.’ That was sad because we checked the match video in the dressing room and it was a clear penalty kick.”
