Why Leah Williamson’s handball brought Paris FC a penalty against Arsenal

Leah Williamson’s handball gave Paris FC a late penalty in their 2-2 Women’s Champions League draw with Arsenal in Paris on Wednesday, 30 September. Referee Iuliana Demetrescu treated goalkeeper Misa Rodríguez’s pass to Williamson as a completed goal-kick restart. Maeline Mendy converted the penalty, costing Arsenal a win after they had led by two goals.

BBC Sport reported that the ball was stationary when Rodríguez kicked it toward Williamson, making the pass the goal kick. Williamson stopped it with her hand, apparently believing she was positioning the ball to take the kick herself. Arsenal assistant coach Aaron D’Antino disputed the account that the ball had stopped before Rodríguez passed it.

How the Arsenal goal-kick became a Paris FC penalty

The dispute turns on when the ball entered play. Under IFAB’s Law 16, a goal kick must be taken from a stationary ball in the goal area. The ball is in play once it is kicked and clearly moves. On the referee’s interpretation, Rodríguez had taken the goal kick by passing to Williamson. Williamson’s subsequent touch was therefore judged as a handball during play, rather than part of preparing the restart.

The Guardian’s match report describes Rodríguez rolling the ball onto the pitch and passing it to Williamson, who bent down and stopped it with her hand. The referee pointed to the penalty spot, and the video assistant referee did not intervene. Mendy then drove the spot kick into the bottom corner. BBC Sport also described the referee’s decision as consistent with the laws, based on its account that the ball was stationary before Rodríguez kicked it.

Why Arsenal disputed the decision

D’Antino, who spoke to reporters after the match, said his recollection was that the ball was still rolling as Rodríguez moved it toward Williamson. He said Williamson normally took Arsenal’s goal kicks and argued that she gained no advantage by stopping the ball. His account challenges the premise needed for Rodríguez’s pass to count as the restart. The reviewed reports do not include a written ruling from the referee or competition explaining that factual judgment.

The assistant coach also identified a practical lesson for Arsenal: how the goalkeeper gets the ball to Williamson before a goal kick. He said the team should avoid putting itself in the same position again. Former Arsenal defender Jen Beattie criticised the referee’s decision in comments reported by BBC Sport, saying Williamson was catching the ball because she expected to take the goal kick.

How the penalty changed Arsenal’s match

Arsenal had built a 2-0 lead through goals from Alessia Russo and Georgia Stanway. According to The Guardian, Russo scored before half-time and Stanway doubled the advantage five minutes after the restart. Clara Mateo then pulled one back for Paris FC after getting clear of Arsenal’s defence, rounding Rodríguez and scoring into an empty net. Mendy’s late penalty completed the comeback and left the teams with a point each.

BBC Sport reported that Arsenal stood fourth in the Champions League table after their opening two matches, whereas a victory in Paris would have put them second. The Guardian also reported that Arsenal manager Renée Slegers did not attend the post-match press conference, leaving D’Antino to answer questions. His comments made clear that Arsenal accepted a need to change how it handled the situation while continuing to disagree with the penalty award.

The earlier Tyrone Mings goal-kick penalty

There is a close Champions League precedent. In November 2024, Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez tapped a goal kick to Tyrone Mings, who picked up the ball inside the penalty area without realising it was in play. Club Brugge were awarded a penalty, Hans Vanaken scored, and Villa lost 1-0. Villa manager Unai Emery called it the biggest mistake he had witnessed in his career, according to BBC Sport’s report at the time.

That incident shows how a short pass at a goal kick can produce a penalty when a teammate handles the ball after the restart. It does not resolve Arsenal’s objection about Wednesday’s play: whether Rodríguez’s ball was stationary before her pass. The available match reports support the penalty under the referee’s interpretation, while D’Antino’s account leaves that decisive observation contested.