VAR official who gave PSG penalty against Newcastle demoted from

The VAR official responsible for the controversial decision to award a penalty to PSG against Newcastle, Tomasz Kwiatkowski, has been removed from the same role for the upcoming Champions League fixture between Real Sociedad and RB Salzburg. Kwiatkowski ordered a review of the penalty decision during the Newcastle-PSG match, where Tino Livramento was judged to have committed a handball. The decision allowed Kylian Mbappe to score an equalizer in the second-half stoppage time.

Despite the ball bouncing off Livramento’s stomach and onto his elbow, Kwiatkowski advised referee Szymon Marciniak to review the incident, leading to the awarding of the penalty after a monitor check. The controversial nature of the decision has prompted UEFA to take action, with Kwiatkowski being replaced by German official Marco Fritz for the Real Sociedad vs RB Salzburg match.

The decision to remove Kwiatkowski from his role for the subsequent fixture has been interpreted by some as an acknowledgment by UEFA that the penalty decision in the Newcastle-PSG game may not have been justified. The situation is a developing sports story, and updates are expected as more information becomes available.