Atletico awarded penalty after VAR check for White handball
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The first was awarded against Bayern Munich in their thrilling 5-4 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in their UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg.The referee, Sandro Scharer, initially did not give a penalty when the ball hit the arm of Bayern’s Alphonso Davies after deflecting off his body.
But after being advised to watch again on the monitor, he pointed to the spot.
That call was somewhat overshadowed by the dazzling attacking display in the game, but there was no hiding from another handball decision in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid.Early in the second half, with Arsenal leading, a shot from Marcos Llorente deflected off Ben White’s leg and hit his arm.
Again the referee, Danny Makkelie, did not point to the spot until he had rewatched it several times on the pitchside monitor.
Handball rule is ‘spoiling football’
The handball penalty was not the only controversial moment in Arsenal’s draw in Madrid because The Gunners had a penalty decision overturned following review following a challenge on Eberechi Eze.
However, TNT Sports expert Steve McManaman said the controversy and uncertainty around the handball rule is ”spoiling the game.”
”He’s scuffed a shot that’s going 20 yards wide and it’s bounced up and hit Ben White on the arm as he’s trying to drag it naturally into his own body, it’s never handball,” said McManaman.
”This handball rule is actually spoiling football, last night’s one against Alphonso Davies and tonight, it’s terrible.
”This was atrocious. That’s come off his thigh onto his arm. The sad thing about it is at Premier League level there is a discrepancy between what goes on here in Europe and what goes on in the Premier League.
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”It’s getting too far away from each other because they are now giving penalties for everything. This handball stuff is spoiling the game, imagine saying that in a Champions League semi-final.
”Thankfully in the other game there were nine goals we could talk about so that decision got eclipsed by the quality of the game. But that decision tonight will make the headlines for the wrong reasons yet again.”
TNT Sports expert Steven Gerrard agreed with McManaman, saying: ”It’s never a penalty. In the Premier League that is never given.”
Arteta ‘accepts’ handball penalty – but what are the rules?
Mikel Arteta was more angry with the overturned penalty decision against Eze than the awarding of the penalty for handball.
Arteta said the decision to deny Arsenal a penalty for the challenge on Eze was ”completely unacceptable” and “against the rules”.
But he said about the handball: “They have been consistent with that. If you are going to give a penalty for this kind of thing you have to accept it.”
‘Very upset’ Arteta hits out at ‘unacceptable’ penalty decision
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So why the frustration around the awarding of the penalty?
Part of the reason, as McManaman and Gerrard stated, is that neither of the handball penalties seen this week in the Champions League would probably be given in the Premier League.
Which might be surprising seeing as both competitions are guided by International Football Association Board (IFAB) rules.
IFAB say it is a handball if a player:
– deliberately touches the ball with their hand/arm, for example moving the hand/arm towards the ball touches the ball with their hand/arm when it has made their body unnaturally bigger
– A player is considered to have made their body unnaturally bigger when the position of their hand/arm is not a consequence of, or justifiable by, the player’s body movement for that specific situation. By having their hand/arm in such a position, the player takes a risk of their hand/arm being hit by the ball and being penalised
The discrepancy arises because the Premier League has adopted a more lenient approach, following feedback from clubs, where the ball hitting a hand or arm does not automatically mean a penalty.
The Premier League stated at the start of this season: ”Match officials in the Premier League will maintain a high threshold for penalising challenges – not every contact is a foul – while protecting player safety. The higher threshold will continue to be applied for handball offences too.”
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Meanwhile, UEFA refereeing director Roberto Rosetti spoke in February about the guidelines on handball in European competition and said three areas to consider were:
- The player’s attitude and intention (e.g. creating a barrier v playing the ball)
- Whether arms are in a natural position, especially when falling or recovering balance
- Contact following a physical challenge, where deflections may be unavoidable
Rosetti also highlighted the importance of referees around Europe “speaking the same technical language” to ensure consistent decision-making across borders.
That doesn’t seem to be the case right now and former Premier League referee Graham Scott said this week that UEFA’s stance on the handball rule is ”baffling.”
He told the Athletic: “Quite why UEFA asks its referees to be so tough on handball in its competitions is baffling, even if it does so with the noble aim of improving consistency.”
What about deflections for handball penalties?
Both handball penalty calls this week came via deflections off another body part.
That does not mean there cannot be a penalty awarded.
The Premier League updated their rules at the start of the 2024/25 season to state: ”A very clear deflection that results in a significant change in the trajectory of the ball should carry greater weight than arm position when considering a handball offence.
”However, touching another body part before contact with the arm does not automatically mean a handball cannot be penalised.”
In April 2023, the UEFA Football Board recommended that: ”UEFA should clarify that no handball offence should be called on a player if the ball is previously deflected from his own body and, in particular, when the ball does not go towards the goal.”
However, current IFAB laws do not make mention to deflections leading to handballs and focus more on whether it is deliberate and if the movement of the arm has made the ”body unnaturally bigger.”
The rules do say that if a player kicks or heads the ball and it then hits their hand or arm then it is not handball.
Until there is clarification and a common interpretation, the uncertainty is likely to continue.
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