Toni Kroos has defended referee Anthony Taylor for missing Marc Cucurella’s handball at Euro 2024.
Germany were knocked out by the eventual winners in the quarter-finals, although things could have been different had the Premier League official spotted the controversial incident at 1-1 in extra-time.
Spain would eventually go on to win 2-1, scoring very late on and marking the end of Germany’s tournament on home soil.
It was Kroos’ last appearance in football before retiring, having decided to call it time for both club and country this summer.
And the veteran is not holding anything against Taylor for his misjudgement.
Speaking on his podcast his podcast Einfach mal Luppen, he said: “I’ve held back so far.
“I have to say, I didn’t see it in the game at all. I wasn’t in a position to see that it was a relatively clear handball.
Danke Deutschland 🖤❤️💛 pic.twitter.com/a8aUf28oVy
— Toni Kroos (@ToniKroos) July 6, 2024
“At that moment you are not so angry with the referee because you cannot judge it yourself.
“Of course I then paid attention to the referee. He was of the opinion that he did not even have to look at it, or rather the video referee was of the opinion that he should tell him: ‘You do not have to look at it, it is not handball’,” Kroos continued.
“I only got angry when I saw it after the game. I think he should have at least watched it. But I think the problem is: he knew that if he watched it, he would have to give it.
“And I had the feeling that he didn’t really want to give it in a game like that.
“The referees themselves don’t know 100% how the interpretation is in this case.
“In hindsight, it’s obviously bitter 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.”
Kroos won everything but the European Championship in his career.
He finished his club career by winning the Champions League with Real Madrid, making it 34 trophies in total.
He will perhaps look back with regret that he wasn’t able to complete the set with Germany, but he did win the World Cup with them in 2014.
