Handball law in soccer explained | OneFootball

Highlights

Handballs play a huge part in soccer. Whether it's an unintentional 'ball to hand' moment in the middle of the pitch or denying a clear, goal-scoring opportunity, they are controversial and immediately in the headlines.

The rules surrounding handball are consistently changing. Currently, committing a handball anywhere on the pitch will result in a free-kick for the opposition team. Only a yellow card is given if they believe there was intent (or if it was cynical); if the ball randomly strikes someone's hand, they would not be given a yellow card. Meanwhile, a red card can be rewarded if it prevents a goal from being scored. On the face of it, most argue it's relatively simple to understand, but the rules and complexions across the world differ, especially in the Premier League and Champions League.

When association football first became widespread in the mid-1800s, there was no standardised set of rules for the game; different private schools, colleges, and institutions used different regulations, which would lead to a lot of confusion when they met to play each other.

Epitomising this, the handling of the ball was allowed until 1863 when football became well-known as the sport we know today. In 1863, a player handling the ball would result in a free-kick, whilst the goalkeeper was able to handle the ball anywhere in their own half until 1912. One of the biggest changes to the handball rule came in 1992 when FIFA and the IFAB (International Football Association Board) stated goalkeepers could no longer pick the ball up from a back pass. If they did, it would result in an indirect free-kick. This is soccer as we know it today.

Rules in the Premier League

Handball comes under Law 12 in the FA's Laws of the Game handbook. The section details every kind of foul and misconduct possible, outlining the rules and punishments. The FA first states:

They later add it is an offence if:

Goalkeepers have the same restrictions on handling the ball outside the penalty area. It might seem obvious, but when they are outside their box, it is like they are an outfield player. If the goalkeeper handles the ball inside their penalty area when it is not permitted to do so, an indirect free-kick is awarded, but there is no disciplinary action. This occurs if a goalkeeper picks up the ball from a back pass, which has been banned by FIFA and the International Football Association Board (IFAB) since 1992. However, if the offence is playing the ball a second time after a restart before it touches another player, the goalkeeper must be sanctioned. This only occurs if the offence stops a promising attack or denies an opponent a goal or a clear goal-scoring opportunity.

The punishment for a handball offence can vary depending on the exact circumstances in which it happened. In the majority of cases, a direct free kick will be given, and that will be the only punishment — the offending player will not receive a yellow card. However, a yellow card can be given if the referee decides that the foul is more cynical or worse than a standard handball offence. For example, if the ball strikes a player's forearm while it is in an unnatural position.

The rules in the Premier League are consistently changing, so it can be hard to keep up. However, they do differ slightly from the Champions League's and UEFA's rules - which are outlined below. The Premier League - as outlined above in the table - is one of the most lenient leagues in Europe when deciding if a handball should result in a penalty. It's added variety to fans around the world, especially if their team plays in UEFA competitions.

UEFA Rules in the Champions League

Similar to the Premier League, handball can occur in UEFA competitions when:

At the time of writing, the Champions League produces over double the amount of handball offences than any other league.

The rules differ from the Premier League, with Tino Livramento's handball in the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain used as the perfect example. In the Premier League - featured in guidelines available since the start of the 2020/21 season - a deflection is only taken into account if it makes a difference to the ball striking the player's hand/arm - assuming the arm is extended in an 'unnatural' position. They add that if the ball deflects off a player and then onto their own arm/hand, it should not be automatically given. A case-by-case plan is used.

However, in the Champions League, Livramento was penalised after the ball deflected off his body onto his hand - even though it was unintentional. According to UEFA rules, it was a penalty as the hand/arm was in an unnatural position - to his side - but it would not be given in the Premier League.

As outlined above, the rules are harsher in European competitions. However, in April 2023, the UEFA Football Board urged for more clarity on the handball law, asking for recommendations that could be added in the future. They were not added for the 2023/2024 season, yet that could change.

Recommended that UEFA launch an initiative towards the IFAB for the amendment of Law 12, which foresees that a player should be sent off for denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by a handball offence. The Board feels players should be sent off only if they deliberately and intentionally touch the ball with their hand/arm. In the case of other handball offences, the players should only be cautioned.

Handballs can deny a goal or an obvious clear goal-scoring opportunity. When a player commits a handball in their own penalty area - which denies a clear goal-scoring opportunity and a penalty kick is awarded - the offender is cautioned if there was an attempt to still play the ball. Simply, if it is unintentional, they will only be cautioned. However, in every other circumstance, often when there is no possibility of playing the ball, or it hits the hand on the goal line, the offending player will be sent off.

The following are used for general moments when denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity, but they are still considered specifically for handballs. The distance between the offence and the goal, the general direction of the play, the likelihood of keeping or gaining control of the ball and the location/number of defenders all determine the decision of the referee when penalising a player who commits a handball.

As is the case with every aspect of football, deciding what handball stops a goal-scoring opportunity is subjective. One referee might think differently to another referee, especially when they slow down the replay.

This is done with the use of a Video Assistant Referee (VAR). Introduced to the Premier League in 2019 - after UEFA - it allowed referees to be presented with a backup option if they missed something. Based at Stockley Park, West London, the hub team - made up of a video referee, assistant video referee and replay operator - scans over every incident in matches; this includes clear goal-scoring opportunities stopped by handballs.

Through the use of calibrated cameras, Hawk-Eye calibrates multiple cameras to give as many options as possible when showing an offside decision in the event that a body part is covered in one camera. In the Premier League, five cameras are calibrated: the main wide camera, both 18-yard box cameras and both goal line cameras. Hawk-Eye can also use any broadcast camera to identify the point of contact with a handball, and they synchronise all cameras for this purpose.

The broadcast cameras operate at 50 frames per second, so the point of contact is one of those frames inside 50 per second. This provides VAR with the best possible chance of finding the right outcome when analysing handballs.

Through the use of VAR, referees can slow down the handball, work out if it deflected off their body first and decide if it was deliberate. The new piece of technology has led to more penalties across Europe, with handballs spotted easily at the second time of asking.

VAR can only overturn 'clear and obvious' mistakes by the referee - which refers to handballs as well. As stated by the IFAB and FA, they can not overturn a decision unless it is a 'clear and obvious mistake', usually referring to if the handball is noticeable to the naked eye. If the VAR team believe the on-field referee has misjudged what happened on the pitch, they will class it as 'clear and obvious'. In another way, what makes the final call 'clear and obvious' is that all three officials in question are in full agreement.

Crucially, the final decision comes down to the referee, but if every member of the VAR team believes it should be overturned, they will recommend that to the on-field referee. The on-field referee rarely disagrees with the entirety of the VAR team.

There is never a set idea of clear and obvious issues for handball, because football is subjective. What one fan thinks might be completely different to what another fan thinks.

Clear and obvious decisions can only be used for handballs, knowing they can quickly change the outcome of the game. However, VAR will only intervene for handballs in the penalty area, whilst handballs outside the box - unless deemed worthy of a red card - fall below the category for the team to get involved.

Penalties

The rules for handball when deciding if a penalty should be rewarded are similar to the process used across the pitch. A penalty is awarded when the hand/arm of the player blocks the ball. In the Premier League, they do not give penalties if it is after a sudden deflection, but they do in UEFA competitions. They will usually end with just a caution, especially if it hits their hand after a deflection. However, if they move their hand into an unnatural position or if they block a shot with their hand on the goal line, the punishment will be more serious. A red card - if it prevents a goal - can be rewarded, whilst yellow cards are common for moving their hand into an unnatural position.

Deciding when to give penalties for a handball can be subjective. However, just like every aspect of the sport, it has come under more pressure and scrutiny since the arrival of VAR. When deciding if a handball warrants a penalty, the VAR hub - and thus the on-field referee - three things must be considered: whether the ball has gone out of play beforehand, the location of the offence in relation to the box and whether it was correctly classed as a handball.

Handballs can often be on the edge of the box - or even the white line - so VAR will check if it is within the box, whilst they also check if the handball was not forced onto the player by an opposition player. This could include the player being pushed before committing the handball. In that instance, the handball - and the resulting penalty - would not be given because it was foul play by the other team.

'Ball to Hand'

Ball to hand was used by referees to describe an accidental handball. It was used to describe incidents where a player is close to the ball, and can't reasonably move their hand out of the way quickly enough to avoid contact with their hand.

Handball, on the other hand, is called when a player either deliberately touches the ball with their hand, or if the player's arm is in an unnatural position when the ball is played. There's a notable difference, which was commonly used by referees decades ago.

If a player was judged to have been trying to break their fall when the ball hit their hand, for example, a defender sliding in to stop an attacker from scoring, this was not considered a handball. Yet the major word here is 'was'.

With the way the current law is currently written, there is no ball-to-hand rule. This often goes hand-in-hand with intent, as the idea of "ball to hand" being unavoidable for a defensive player lends itself to a lack of intent to handle the ball. However, especially under UEFA's rules, intent does not matter when deciding if a handball has been committed. A defensive player assumes the risk of their arm's unnatural position, and therefore ball to hand does not apply. The rule of 'ball to hand' has slowly been phased out of the sport - especially in the Champions League - highlighting that VAR has changed the game in recent years. More penalties are rewarded, handballs are punished more frequently and pressure on the referees to get decisions correct is increasing. Football is drastically different to what it was like 20 years ago.

A defensive player's risk means the ball may potentially be kicked into their arm without time to react, and therefore, it would be a penalised offence regardless of their ability or inability to react in time. This has been showcased in the Champions League when players have been penalised for the ball hitting their hand, even if it was in close proximity or from a deflection.

Proposed changes to the handball rule have been discussed to continually try to improve the landscape in football. One suggestion proposed by the IFAB is the introduction of a "silhouette" rule, focusing on whether a player's body shape is significantly altered by the position of their hand or arm. This could provide a clearer view for referees and reduce the ambiguity associated with determining the naturalness of a player's position.