FIFA INTRODUCES RULE CHANGE FOR ACCIDENTAL HANDBALLS

Sat 06 March 2021:

World football’s governing body, FIFA, announced on Friday a rule change for accidental handballs when scoring a goal.

“Accidental handball that leads to a team-mate scoring a goal or having a goal-scoring opportunity will no longer be considered an offence,” FIFA said in a statement.

Various changes and clarifications to the laws of the game were agreed to at the 135th Annual General Meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) that was held by videoconference.

The meeting was moderated by the President of the Football Association of Wales, Kieran O’Connor, and led by the chairman of FIFA, Gianni Infantino.

The change to the handball rule is likely to be introduced in England from 1 July.

It will remain a handball offence if a player scores accidentally with their hand or arm, or uses their hand or arm directly before scoring.

The International Football Association Board had tightened handball laws for the start of the 2020-21 season.

However, a spate of handball decisions led to fierce criticism across the game and saw English top-flight referees ordered to be less strict about their interpretations of the law.

Premier League officials were told to particularly focus on the distance an offending player is from the ball and whether he has extended his arm outside the natural body line.