At what point does attacking play start? To my understanding, when you’re attacking, and there is any contact, deliberate or not, with the ball from the attackers hand/arm in the build up, it’s deemed a handball. I mean, they were reviewing Haaland’s second goal for handball in case it brushed his elbow even though if there was contact, it would have done nothing to assist him in scoring that goal. Then, when defending, it has to be a deliberate handball or your hand is in an unnatural position when it hits the ball. Distance between hand and ball from when the ball is struck and speed of that ball is also considered. All well and good.
But now, same game, Chelsea vs City. City have the ball with their goalkeeper who kicks it against Walkers hand. If they had been defending and a Chelsea player kicked it against his hand, no penalty or free kick. Fair enough considering the above criteria. But if City had possession wouldn’t that then be an attacking phase? And if so, wouldn’t ANY handball be a handball?
But this is what is totally wrong with the new hand ball rule.
Walker doesn’t want to handle the ball, he’s running back towards his keeper who is making a clearance, as a defender the last thing you want to do is deflect the ball in anyway.
He puts the brakes on, the striker gives him a little nudge, his hand moves out naturally to balance and Ederson makes a slight miss kick and the ball brushes Walkers hand.
He never intentionally handled the ball in a gazillion years, he has zero benefit to handle the ball and clearly didn’t make any move to handle it deliberately.
Nobody, and I mean nobody had any issue with the handball rule before it got changed to accompany VAR and it should be reverted back ASAP as it is farcical.
I think no one having a problem with the handball rule before VAR was hardly universally accepted.
Either way, intentional or not, there has to be an objective way to look at a situation. Unfortunately, Prem refs have screwed it up so much that the rules appear more subjective than they should. The widely accepted letter of the law is that Walker’s outstretched arm, one not in a natural position, handling the ball is a handball.
Reece had a handball and red card issued over a significantly closer “natural position” than Walkers with the same ref.
Walkers hand was in a natural position though, he was decelerating (being Walker this would be a significant slowing down process), whilst simultaneously looking over his shoulder. The forward can’t recall who it was, gave him a slight nudge (just part of the game) and so Walkers hand raised slightly away from his body to provide a balancing pivot. This was entirely normal and it’s OK that players hands move up and down when slowing and accelerate at tremendous speeds.
James also shouldn’t have been penalised in the example you gave.