Question Number: 31801

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 9/19/2017

RE: Adult

Muhammad Rizwan of Abbottabad, KPK Pakistan asks...

Sir,

Can you just brief me what is ball hand and handball if possible video clip would help me alot. Thanks

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Muhammad,
I don't think anyone can tell you exactly what you should and should not call as a handling offence.

For me, it is one of the most subjective areas of the game and even the IFAB recognises that the Law in this area needs some improvement.

For now (until and unless the IFAB comes up with some new guidelines) my approach is to use the wording in the Laws and then apply your own best judgement when incidents occur.

The main point to bear in mind is (in my opinion) the wording in the first part of the section in the law on handling:

''Handling the ball involves a deliberate act of a player making contact with the ball with the hand or arm.''

Everything else is secondary - first and foremost you must decide if it was a deliberate act.

In order to help you in making this judgement, the laws then go on to offer this additional advice.

''The following must be considered:

the movement of the hand towards the ball (not the ball towards the hand)
the distance between the opponent and the ball (unexpected ball)
the position of the hand does not necessarily mean that there is an offence
touching the ball with an object held in the hand (clothing, shinguard, etc.) is an offence
hitting the ball with a thrown object (boot, shinguard, etc.) is an offence''

This being such a subjective area, I don't think I have ever seen a video or set of videos in which I would agree with every judgement being made.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Muhammad
Frequent visitors to the site know that this along with offside is one if the most frequently asked questions. If you use the Search Q&A function across the top of the site and put in, handling, handball etc you will get multiple examples.
Now handling can be looked at in a scale of say 10 to 1 as it is never always black and white. At the top of the scale we have certain deliberate handling where a player uses his hand or arm deliberately to move, stop the ball. No doubt in such circumstances that it is deliberate handling. At the other end of the scale we have situations where the ball has hit a players arm accidentally without the player seeing the ball or knowing anything about that. That is not deliberate handling.
Now in the middle of the scale we have the *grey area* which is not black or white, neither a 10 nor a 1 and the referee has to make a decision if it a deliberate action or not.
Most times the ball hits an arm it will raise shouts of handball. It is then a judgement call based on the referees view, his training, his opinion as to whether the action was deliberate or not.
This is the advice given by my association UEFA to match referees
** Although football is a game in which players constantly move their arms and hands as a natural part of their movement, in deciding if a player is handling the ball deliberately , it is essential to consider the following points:
# Was it a hand to ball situation or ball to hand?
# Are the player’s hands or arms in a 'natural' position?
#Does the player want to 'make himself bigger' by using his arms?
# Does the player try to avoid the ball striking his hand?
# Distance the ball travelled before striking the player’s hand
# Is the player able to avoid the ball striking his hand?
# Does he use his hand or arm to intentionally touch the ball?
Referees should also consider possible additional circumstances and consequences, e.g. how and where did the offence occur (stopped a promising attack? denied an obvious goal scoring opportunity?) and they must then punish fully in accordance with the Laws of the Game**
As you can see there are many factors to be taken into account in the middle grey ground. As an example a player takes a hard shot at goal and it hits a players arm by his side stood 3 yards away. That is not deliberate handling. In a similar situation a player comes running at the shot with his arms up above his head and the ball also hits an arm at three yards. That is deliberate handling. In both the ball has hit the arm yet in the second one the intention was to deliberately stop the ball and to use the arm in that action if charging the ball down.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Muhammad,
even as we discuss what is or is not a deliberate action the latest GM of the IFAB discussion group has actually instituted a program at the elite level with new guidelines on certain aspects of this very difficult infringement to obtain a more acceptable description of consistency that is just now creating controversy. Given it just being taught at the highest levels it still is being groomed for a rewrite into the LOTG at least in the understanding of what acceptable risk actually means.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1ntPotJzRE&index=5&list=PLsAXIYtop5OuwuRbZmHjRVBsDfvZIzkhC

ESSE is one of only a handful of approved FIFA instructor in the world who teaches other WC qualified referees! This was NOT just a USSF program overstepping on their own. This program was a DIRECT result of the IFAB GM meeting in 2016

March 2016 The IFAB's Annual General Meeting (AGM) Amsterdam

http://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/news/y=2016/m=5/news=ifab-advisory-panels-discuss-laws-of-the-game-in-amsterdam-2791660.html

Note the topic on the screen picture
"Handball CAN A SOLUTION BE FOUND?"
The instructional video is a direct result of those meetings.

The trickle down theory is to refine the approach at the top and EVENTUALLY it will be taught at the lower levels. I will be curious to see if it is included into the next IFAB/FIFA LOTG as a worded factor to consider.

from our pitch to your pitch in the spirit of fair play

Cheers