Can I call myself European Champion: Kroos responds as UEFA admits referee erred in Euro 2024 QF

New Delhi: Germany star Toni Kroos has responded with a sarcastic comment after European football’s governing body admitted that Germany was denied a penalty during their quarterfinal clash with eventual winners Spain in the 2024 European Championships.

Following the Euro 2024 quarterfinal clash between Spain and Germany, which saw the hosts being eliminated with a controversial decision, the UEFA Referee Committee has admitted that Germany should have received a penalty for a handball by Marc Cucurella.

“It took them three months to realise it was a handball, something that almost everyone saw in a second. Thank you, it wasn’t that big of a deal. Can I proclaim myself European champion now that they’ve officially said it was a mistake? I don’t think so,” said Kroos on his podcast, Einfach mal Luppen.

Toni Kroos had announced his intentions to retire from football after the European Championship. The quarterfinal exit saw the farewell of one of the finest midfielders in the history of the game.

Despite having one of the most successful football careers which saw him lift the UEFA Champions League five times and the FIFA World Cup in 2014, the European Championship was the one trophy that the German midfield maestro had never won.

“I only got angry when I saw it after the game. I think he should have at least looked at it. But I think the problem is: that he knew that if he looked at it, he would have to give it. And I had the feeling that he didn’t necessarily want to give it in a game like that. The referees themselves don’t know 100 per cent how the interpretation is in this case.

“In retrospect, it’s bitter, of course, when you see the whole outcome or the importance of a goal at that point. In the end, all we could do was accept it,” he added.

–IANS