Accidental handball leading to a team-mate scoring a goal or having a goal-scoring opportunity will no longer be considered an offence. The IFAB have this afternoon issued a short statement:
“Accidental handball that leads to a team-mate scoring a goal or having a goal-scoring opportunity will no longer be considered an offence, the game’s law-making body the International Football Association Board has announced.
The controversial section of the handball law came into play during Thursday night’s Premier League game between Fulham and Tottenham when the Cottagers had a goal by Josh Maja ruled out when the ball cannoned into the hand of his team-mate Mario Lemina from a Davinson Sanchez clearance when he was a matter of yards away.
And now the IFAB has agreed on the change, which comes into effect from July 1. However, competitions have the flexibility to introduce changes prior to that date, IFAB said.”
Scott Parker on the rule change: “It’s disappointing to think that we’re at the back end of a competition, and we’re changing rules.”
They’re not changing the law until 1st July, but there is flexibility to introduce this earlier for individual leagues and associations but I can’t see the FA doing so at this stage of the season.
Depends on how you define accidental, doesn’t it.
No doubt refs and that Stockleigh Park will make a shambles of it either way.
If the Powers that Govern Football used Common Sense then a lot of the Rules would be changed. Theres the Rub .
All to aid the fixing. Ambiguity, confusion….changing a rule in March is an effing farce.
This season has been a fixers paradise.
It was a stupid rule in the first place. There have been so many bad handball decisions this season (for and against us) that they need a proper overhaul of it in the summer. May as well chuck in the offside debacle too whilst they’re at it.
Lol!