Question Number: 34355

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 9/26/2021

RE: Adult

Engin Ataman of OLYMPIA, WA United States asks...

https://beinsports.com.tr/haber/atakas-hatayspor-fenerbahce-3

@ 1:06 there is a handball. Would like to hear your opinion on this one. Thank you :)

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Engin
Thanks for the question.
That does not look like deliberate handling to me as the player dives to head the ball, misses it and it hits his arm. Does not look like a deliberate act and it would not be called as handling if I was the referee.
Now we are not all in agreement on this and other referees will see this as handling including colleagues. That is the vagaries of handling calls.

In seasons gone by in the Laws there were a number statements that I found helpful.
** Handling the ball involves a deliberate act of a player making contact with the ball with the hand or arm.**
**When a player falls and the hand/arm is between the body and the ground to support the body, but not extended laterally or vertically away from the body**
** A player’s hand/arm position should be judged in relation to their body movement in that particular situation**

In this incident the player goes with a diving header to stop the ball. I cannot see a normal dive with the arms at the player’s side? He misses the header and it hits his arm. Now this will not be uniformly called and it brings to mind a referee instructor making a comment at a seminar on a show of hands by referees on handling videos. The room was divided on this type of call and he said that those in tne game including referees do not know what is being called which shows the uncertainty of handling calls. That continues to be a big debate in the game. The ball hit his arm and did it deserve to be called as a penalty? Some will say 100% handling, some will say no and then there are those that are undecided who may be swayed by other factors.

What we can say is that from the same handling if a goal was scored by an attacker it would be disallowed with a DFK restart to the defending team. That is the certainty we all want yet the law makers do not want to punish what is not deliberate in other situations particularly on penalty calls. They leave it as a judgement call to the referee. If it happened at half way and it was called there would be little debate about it yet a penalty is a big decision in a game with many referees wanting to be certain.

So for me I have no difficulty with either call as it is not black and white. Its a grey area for me and if a referee sees it as a penalty then fine and also no award is also fine with me. I’m in the no penalty camp and there is nothing in the law to say that opinion is neither right or wrong.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Egin,
looks like we are not all in agreement although I am uncertain why?
if I had to say the intent was NOT to handle, in the old days I might have said accidental (which it was ) in he might not have meant to do so and not crushed his spirit with a PK . It happened fast and like Maradona hand of God the referee DID not see it nor I am assuming did the AR? I will guess there was no VAR used at this venue, because that could be mentioned and the referee called to have a look. I can certainly understand why there was no call as I doubt even the opposition were aware as only the slow motion camera catches this I tried to guage the keeper's face as if he shot a quick look at the referee in he might be the only one that possiblty saw it clearly.

Imagine that ball was headed into the goal, he dived to head it and that ball cleared the goal line into touch for a corner as a direct result of the arm ball contact. Not only would I award the PK, if that ball HAD been clearly going to enter the goal, it could be a red card for DOGSO! Now the ball appeared headed across the goal more than it might have made it into goal but there is NO doubt. The defender deliberately dived to redirect that ball & his arm was out in front. This is not debatable in my opinion, it clearly occured because of the delberate actions the defender took. That ball did not hit his body, then hit his arm. The arm was placed into the flight path of the ball out in front of his body after the ball missed his head. You can make the case that is how a player might dive outstretched but if he had jumped into the air with the hands in that same position, out above his head, would it not be a deliberate handling?
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Engin,

This is a stonewall penalty for me. Defender dove to head the ball, misjudged it and handled it with his outstretched arm instead. We're not talking about a situation where the ball was deflected or he had no view and no opportunity to react - the ball was coming from a mile away, and he completely misjudged it while attempting to play the ball.

That's 100% on the defender and is a clear handling offence.

As the ball was simply going across goal and no attached was denied possession, there is no need for a card.

Probably very difficult for the referee to spot - and may have been difficult for the AR as well (though always hope at least one spotted it). Good situation for VAR intervention.