The European Handball Federation issues the following statement and additional explanation after the main round match Germany vs Portugal at the Men’s EHF EURO 2026 on Thursday.

At minute 59:55 German player #54 executed the throw-off following a goal of the Portuguese team.

Two German players (#5 and #23) had crossed the centre line before the referee’s whistle, and player #23 subsequently received the ball and scored.

While a repetition of the throw-off would have been the correct procedure, it would not have changed the team in possession of the ball.  

In accordance with the IHF Video Replay Regulations, this situation was not eligible for review, as it does not fall under the provisions of the VR regulation’s situation #9 (“Game Changing Situations”), which include 7-metre throw decisions, punishments, or decisions that may lead to a change of ball possession.