Handball

[lovejoy]

After last nights Man Utd match I am now very confused by the handball rule - can someone explain it to me.

What I think I know is that the ball needs to hit your hand and it needs to be deliberate. Referees interpret deliberate as moving your hand towards the ball or your arm being in an unnatural position. This does not mean your arms need to be behind your back.

I'm not clear how a player jumping with his back to the ball and his arms to the side in a natural position (when jumping) would be handball - but it must be as the ref and VAR agreed.

[cdbearsfan]

The handball rule is the same as any other.

Whatever benefits Man U, goes.

[sid1964]

I bet Sky Sports are in melt down today, about Man Utd, they will probably have a 3 hour special on Ole and how brilliant he is!

[pauliewalnuts]

I was amazed that penalty was given.

[dave shelley]

It's one of the easier laws to deal with.  If, in the opinion of the referee, (and there it is again) a player deliberately handles the ball, the referee shall stop play and award a direct free kick.  This, notwithstanding the referee not being afraid of his paymasters and having full knowledge of the laws.  As simple as I can make it: Hand moves towards the ball, penalty.  Ball to hand, no intent, play on.  I don't keep up with the laws of the game as much as I used to or should do but that isn't too hard.

[Chinchilla Bathhouse]

This is what I don't understand. Last night the referee made a sound and reasonable decision in the moment. He awarded a corner. No one protested. Suddenly there's a word in his ear and he has a difficult decision to make. VAR is meant to make life easier, surely!

[Leicester_Villian]

Penalty all day ...player turns his back in play and his arm is out making his body bigger .....
Im sure we would say penalty if it happens Sunday for us against SHA

[Chinchilla Bathhouse]

I wouldn't, it wasn't a penalty. I'll also be bloody livid if we get one like that given against us.

[Nev]

The only people that jump without using their arms for leverage are "punk rockers pogoing" (one for the teenagers).

[simon ward 50]

Not a deliberate attempt to play the ball with the hand! Therefore not a penalty imho.

[Legion]

Never a penalty.

[Drummond]

It was, he looked at the ball as he jumped and his arm went wider. Handball but attempting to make it look like it wasn't.

[lovejoy]

I don't understand how you can jump without your arm goings out a bit for balance. Does the handball rules state your arms must be beside your body OR in an unnatural position?
Genuinely confused.

[KRS]

The only thing that is clear in this debate is that the rules are still ambiguous and need to be defined. There are still too many grey areas in the rules that are open to interpretation so they need to be redefined to avoid confusion and misunderstanding.

[Damo70]

My old man was on the phone to me first thing this morning moaning about last night's handball incident. It seems to me that these days ball to hand incidents are more often than not classed as a penalty. So they either have to officially state that in the rules or give the refs a collective kick up the arse. The natural or unnatural arm position decision creates an ambiguous grey area for me as it comes down to a matter of opinion.