That has never been a handball

Posted by Oly on 8/8/2012, 9:06 pm, in reply to "Re: Sinclair"

Not a handball whatsoever. It was unintentional, the hand was against the body, and the ball was in close range. 0 for 3. That has never been a handball in history of soccer. ##### The handball is one of the most misunderstood rules in the world of international football. According to FIFA Law 12, a player (other than the goalkeeper within his own penalty area) may not handle the ball deliberately. The FIFA Interpretation of the Laws of the Game states that handling the ball involves a deliberate act of a player making contact with the ball with his hand or arm. This is the official definition of the handball infraction. Now we can break it down. Was it deliberate? This is where the handball rule gets misinterpreted. For a handball infraction to be called, a player must deliberately handle the ball with their hand or arm. A referee must determine if the player intentionally handled the ball. Nowhere in the FIFA Laws of the Game does it state that an unintentional handling of the ball is an infraction. So if a player has their back turned to a crossed ball that hits their hand, there is good reason to believe that it is not a handball. Even if a player gains an advantage after touching the ball with their hand, it is not a handball if the handling was unintentional. The interpretation of FIFA Law 12 tells referees to consider a few things when determining handball infractions. First, the movement of the hand is considered. If the hand moved to the ball, then the handling of the ball is most likely intentional. But if the ball moved to the hand, it may not be intentional. Second, the distance of the player to the ball is considered. A handball that occurred from a ball played close is unexpected and most likely unintentional. But when a ball is played from far away, a player has time to anticipate the ball and avoid handling it with their arm or hand. Finally, the position of the hand is considered. Touching the ball with an arm that is hanging away from the body is not necessarily an infraction. Once again, the handling of the ball must be intentional.