What is Handball rules in football

Handball rules in football: While it’s a well-established rule in football that using one’s arms or hands is forbidden, the handball rule in the sport has become a source of frustration and confusion for players, coaches, fans, and even officials. Determining what constitutes an infringement and what level of contact is permissible remains challenging to understand.

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In recent years, especially since the introduction of video review (VAR), criticisms have emerged regarding football rules, particularly due to diverse interpretations and ambiguous aspects leading to inconsistent enforcement across different leagues, competitions, and even within the same competitions from one game to another.

The Sporting News offers a thorough examination of the current rule, its written specifications, its implications, the varied interpretations across different leagues, and the expressed desires of prominent figures for potential changes in the near future.

Handball Rules and FIFA Guidelines

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) is tasked with establishing, overseeing, modifying, and disseminating the Laws of the Game, a standardized set of rules adopted by football leagues globally. Despite IFAB’s efforts to define handball offenses, persistent uncertainty and ambiguous areas have persisted over the years. The most recent adjustments to the handball rule were introduced for the 2022/23 season, with no further changes made for the 2023/24 season.

IFAB specifies the prohibited parts of the arm, with a notable alteration introduced. In 2019, IFAB introduced the “sleeve rule,” allowing contact with the upper arm, thus providing players with some flexibility in using their shoulders. This means that a ball making contact with the upper part of a player’s arm is not considered a handball, with only clear handball offenses subject to punishment.

The rule stipulates that “the upper boundary of the arm is in line with the bottom of the armpit,” with diagrams included in the Laws of the Game to assist in understanding this concept.

Does the intention play a role in the handball rules?

As per the current wording of the rule, intent holds no significance in certain scenarios where a player deliberately enlarges their body to handle the ball. While the initial point in the Laws of the Game allows referees some discretion to assess intent and penalize a player for intentionally handling the ball (“deliberately”), the subsequent points do not consider unintentional handballs, particularly those involving a player increasing their body size or scoring a goal.

The rule explicitly states that intent is irrelevant, emphasizing that when a player makes their body unnaturally bigger, it involves calculated risks associated with certain movements, even if not done with the intention of handling the ball. The rule articulates that “by having their hand/arm in such a[n unnatural] position, the player takes a risk of their hand/arm being hit by the ball and being penalised.”

Furthermore, the rule introduces the phrase “even if accidental” in its concluding section to clarify that any unnatural contact with the hand/arm, whether intentional or not, should be subject to penalty.

In summary, intent does not factor into determining handball offenses, and officials should not consider intent when making decisions on handball incidents. The only instance where intent becomes relevant for a referee is in deciding whether to send a player off for deliberately handling the ball to prevent a goal.

However, there exists a significant exception. The rule specifically exempts handball incidents as long as a player’s body position is “a consequence of, or justifiable by, the player’s body movement for that specific situation.” In such cases, a handball is not penalized, particularly when a defensive player slides to make a block, where the use of an arm for support is considered a justifiable action for that specific body movement. Therefore, if a ball strikes a supporting arm during a slide, it would not be deemed an “unnatural” position even if extended from the body.

Is it considered a handball if the ball bounces off a player’s body?

According to the current interpretation of the rule, a handball offense is penalized regardless of whether the ball deflects off another player’s body or the same player’s body. However, different leagues may interpret the rule differently, leading to variations in enforcement, with some leagues being more stringent than others.

For instance, the Premier League introduced new guidelines for the 2020/21 season, specifying that a deflection is only considered if it visibly alters the ball’s trajectory when striking the player’s hand or arm, particularly if the arm is in an ‘unnatural’ position. Additionally, if the ball deflects off a player before hitting their own arm or hand, it should not automatically result in a penalty. This approach has sparked debates, such as the Champions League incident involving Tino Livramento, where opinions differ on whether the penalty decision was justified based on the raised position of his arm.

In contrast, reports in April 2023 suggested that the UEFA football board recommended clarifying that no handball offense should be called if the ball is previously deflected from a player’s own body. However, UEFA did not adopt these recommendations, and the proposed change was not implemented.

Criticism has been directed at this aspect of the handball rule, with some deeming it unnecessarily strict, and it remains subject to potential review by individual leagues or IFAB in the coming years.

Is there a ball to hand rule?

The current football law does not include a “ball to hand” rule. This concept often involves intent, as it suggests that a defensive player may face an unavoidable situation where the ball strikes their hand or arm without intent on their part.

As per the current wording of the law, a defensive player acknowledges the risk associated with having their arm in an unnatural position. Therefore, the “ball to hand” principle is considered irrelevant. The defensive player accepts the risk that the ball could potentially strike their arm without giving them enough time to react. Consequently, this situation would be considered a penalized offense, regardless of the player’s ability to react swiftly.

What sets apart the handball rules of UEFA from others?

The handball rules in football, as outlined by IFAB’s Laws of the Game, cannot cover every potential scenario that may arise during a match. Like any set of regulations, there’s always room for interpretation. Consequently, various leagues, competitions, and governing bodies establish their own guidelines for interpreting the rules based on their vision for the sport.

In the case of UEFA, guidelines for the 2023/24 season have been released, aiming to ease the enforcement of handball offenses, especially regarding deflections. The guidelines emphasize that no handball offense should be called if the ball is previously deflected from a player’s own body, particularly when the ball doesn’t move toward the goal. This approach helps address frustrations seen in matches like the one between Newcastle and PSG, where penalties were awarded under differing interpretations.

Furthermore, UEFA proposes a change in the approach to cautions for handball offenses. The guidelines suggest that not every handball should automatically result in a caution, particularly after shots at goal. This deviates from the current practice of issuing automatic yellow cards for handball offenses leading to penalties. The aim of these guidelines is to introduce a more nuanced perspective in such situations.

Lastly, UEFA intends to petition IFAB for a rule change regarding the automatic red card for denying a goalscoring opportunity by handling the ball. The proposed adjustment would consider intent in this decision, advocating for a red card only in cases of intentional handball to prevent a goal. When intent is unclear, a yellow card would be deemed appropriate under the suggested amendments.

These proposals follow UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin’s remarks on the Men In Blazers podcast, expressing concern over the understanding of handball decisions in football. Ceferin emphasized the need for referees to make decisions based on whether a move is natural or not, highlighting the complexity of handball judgments in the game.

Handball Regulations vary Between Attackers and Defenders

The handball rules in football establish different standards for penalizing attacking and defending players. While defenders are subject to specific laws, attacking players operate under a simpler rule. If the ball contacts the arm of an attacking player during a goal-scoring move, regardless of arm position or intent, the goal is disallowed.

IFAB designed this rule to ensure that goals resulting directly from situations where the ball strikes the hand or arm of an attacking player are not permitted, aligning with the spirit of the game.

A notable incident involving Arsenal forward Kai Havertz underscored this distinction. His goal was disallowed against Aston Villa on December 9, 2023. In this instance, the ball initially hit Aston Villa defender Matty Cash’s hand before striking Havertz’s arm.

Howard Webb, chief of PGMOL, clarified the decision in the following days, emphasizing its accuracy. He explained that any handball offense committed by a player scoring a goal is considered a foul. Defenders, however, have a different threshold to meet.

Webb stated, “This is actually a really good on-field decision. It’s not intentional, but it still has to be penalized. The idea was that if it comes off the arm, it can’t be a fair goal. We see this kind of situation leading to a goal being disallowed when it hits Havertz’s arm, and yet a few seconds earlier, it hits Matty Cash’s arm as well, equally accidentally, but he doesn’t get penalized. He can’t be penalized because he’s got to commit a different offense as a defender. He’s got to make his arm unnaturally bigger or deliberately handle the ball… We’re working with a different threshold for an attacker.”

Is there a possibility of a change to the handball rule in football?

Handball rules in football: There is a growing anticipation that the handball rule in football will soon undergo revisions, driven by recent controversial decisions and calls for clarity.

The contentious decision to award Paris Saint-Germain a penalty in the 98th minute against Newcastle in the 2023/24 Champions League group stage ignited widespread debate. CBS rules analyst Christina Unkel weighed in on the matter, expressing her belief that IFAB will issue new guidance on the handball rule early in 2024. While acknowledging that the rule was correctly applied in the specific incident, Unkel emphasized the need for changes due to the current wording leading to numerous contentious decisions.

Unkel’s discussion of “objective” and “subjective” interpretations is crucial. In recent years, VAR aimed to standardize decision-making, leading to a more “objective” application of the rules across all matches. However, Unkel suggests that IFAB might reconsider this approach and adopt a more “subjective” rule, acknowledging the unique nature of each decision in football. While this shift may pose challenges for strict consistency, it allows for a more nuanced evaluation of each situation.

How the handball rules in the Premier League differ

Handball rules in football: Like UEFA, the English Premier League has issued guidelines to its officials regarding handball offenses. These guidelines, introduced in 2020, are known for their strictness, leaving defensive players with little room for error when it comes to handball infractions.

• The hand or arm is unmistakably distanced from the body and positioned beyond the “body line.”
• The player intentionally leans toward the trajectory of the ball.
• The ball covers a considerable distance.
• The ball makes contact with a hand or arm elevated distinctly above the shoulder.
• Following the contact, the player falls, and the hand or arm is extended either laterally or vertically away from the body.
• Any deflection has no impact on the ball contacting a hand or arm that is visibly extended away from the body and/or above the shoulder.
• Immediately after the unintentional contact with the arm, the player either scores a goal or initiates a goal-scoring opportunity.