The handball rule in football is when the ball makes contact with a players hand/arm in an illegal manner. The rules state that not every touch of a player’s hand/arm with the ball is an offence. It is an offence if a player deliberately touches the ball with their hand/arm, for example, moving the hand/arm towards the ball. The upper boundary of the arm is in line with the bottom of the armpit for the purposes of determining handball offences. The guidelines for 2023/24 suggest that no handball offence should be called on a player if the ball is previously deflected from his own body, and, in particular, when the ball does not go towards the goal. The handball rules in soccer are among the game’s most contested and vague laws. The following are some of the key points to note about the handball rule in football:
- A handball is an offence in football which ensues when an outfield player touches the ball with their hand or arm, or a goalkeeper outside of their penalty box.
- The arm starts from the bottom of the armpit, meaning that the ball making contact with the shoulder is not considered a handball.
- A player making their body bigger and scoring a goal does not allow for inadvertent handballs.
- VAR can only be used in decisive defensive and attacking scenarios.
- An arm extended laterally or vertically can make the body unnaturally bigger, covering more space than necessary. Consequently, a handball in an “unnatural position” can be called, even if it is not done deliberately.
