Question Number: 29901

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 11/8/2015

RE: Competitive Under 19

Shannon of East Palo Alto, CA US asks...

A defensive player in his own penalty area receives a ball moving at a reasonable speed to control it. The player is unopposed. Player decides to clear the ball. The natural motion of kicking the ball causes his arm to swing forward, which then makes contact with the ball as it rises off the foot.

Is this handling (and thus a penalty kick), because he had time to make a play such that he would not have touched the ball, or not handling because after playing the ball with the foot, the contact with the hand was clearly accidental? (Who would ever deliberately do this?) Should I always assume that accidentally playing the ball to the player's own hand is handling? What about playing the ball such that it accidentally hits off the hands of a player on the same team as the kicker?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Accidental is accidental, even if it is a fortuitous accident that gives the player some benefit. In the situation you present, it probably wasn't of any benefit to the player at all, but we don't need to know that. It even probably resulted in his clearing kick to be less effective because it hit his arm and slowed it down or deflected it. The same would apply to one player accidentally kicking the ball into another player's arm, of either team.

The thing is, you need to be sure it was an accident. Some players are pretty sneaky and can make deliberate things look accidental.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Shannon
Referees should only penalise deliberate handling. As described this is not deliberate and there is no handling offence. Yes there will be howls of handball and that happens every time the ball touches a hand or arm.
Now there are some situations where the ball hit the hand or arm that are might look accidental yet the intention was deliberate.
A player rushing the ball with her arms up above her head is an example. It might look like accidental contact yet the intention was to maker herself bigger or to use the arms to assist in the charge down. That is still deliberate handling.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FIGGUW3IMOA
This is not deliberate handling as the ball reared up of his foot and he had not a clue where the ball was going or that it would hit his hand.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Shannon,
As you describe this situation, in my opinion, no foul is present ! Yet far too many referees would be quick to think this a foul because the player deliberately tried to play the ball . I would avoid assumptions. A referee with integrity sees what they see base on their angle of view and their current understanding and application of the LOTG. I hold that far too much blame is fostered onto players for being cunning and deceitful as to make it look like an accident. I rather note the impulse for players is to swat at the ball instinctively more so than to plan ahead to use arms to help take away a passing lane or make themselves bigger while pretending it is accidental. I think it a cheap PK or DFK foul too often awarded when their HAS to be some doubt it was not intended! My suggestion is be consistent, at least, no matter your version, it is equally applied to both teams!


DH (deliberate handling) is a more appropriate abbreviation than the popular albeit incorrect slang of (Handball) for the DFK foul written in the LOTG as, Handles the ball deliberately! It is possibly the easiest to explain yet most difficult foul to see correctly. It is one of only a few fouls where we look to see what the player INTENDED to do? In fact the full use of the arm is considered as illegal as the hands themselves. Given the arms are attached to the body they are often placed in line with an incoming ball . The rough loose explanation for interpretation is

(1) Ball hits Players' arm = no foul

(2)Players' arm hits Ball = foul

It is without a doubt the most incorrectly adjudged foul within the LOTG. Primarily because it is a NON player interaction. The round ball and the ARM come into contact with one another is often the most easily seen interaction on the Pitch. A ball deflects off players all the time, the key point on a ball that deflects or rebounds off an arm is the referee must not see it being redirected away from something as a deliberate act. Nothing you describe is a deliberate act. Thus NO FOUL!
cheers