"The touch is not punishable because the touch is aimed at closing the ball towards the body, without creating an obstacle. It's therefore a question of movement, with the Milan midfielder not trying to obstruct the ball's trajectory with his arm outstretched to the side, but rather trying to bring it back close to his body to try avoid it."
"Dumfries headed a ball into the Milan penalty area, and it hit Ricci's arm as he retracted it back into his body. This was the key: the movement wasn't toward the ball. Ricci then controlled the ball and cleared the danger. The Nerazzurri protested, demanding a penalty. Doveri allowed play to continue, but VAR didn't even call for a check."
"Ricci touches the ball with his right arm, which he makes a clearing motion: without the touch, the ball would have hit the side of the Milan player, inside his silhouette, given that Ricci does not make himself 'unnaturally bigger'."
In AC Milan's 1-0 derby victory over Inter, a controversial moment occurred in the closing stages when Ricci blocked a pass from Dumfries to Esposito with his arm. Inter protested for a penalty, but referee Daniele Doveri did not award one, and VAR did not intervene. Multiple expert analyses confirmed the decision was correct. The key factor was that Ricci's arm movement was directed toward his body rather than toward the ball, and he was not making himself unnaturally bigger. The touch was deemed a natural clearing motion rather than an unnatural obstruction of play.
Read at SempreMilan
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